 CHAPTER III. INFINCY Eight days after Mary's birth, all the friends and relatives of the family gathered in St. Joachim's house for the ceremony of naming the baby. According to custom the mother could not attend the celebration, but remained in her room. Several priests came from Nazareth, and St. Joachim placed his daughter in the hands of their richly robed leader, who lifted her up as if offering her to the Lord and recited some prayers. Then he wrote the name Mary on a parchment and placed it on her chest. After the singing of some Psalms, the ceremony was over, and Mary was taken back to St. Anne, while all the guests sat around a long low table and were served a banquet meal. Later St. Anne and St. Joachim took Mary to the temple in Jerusalem for the ceremony of the purification of the mother. St. Anne humbly gave her offerings of a lamb and a turtledove and prayed to the Lord to forgive her all her faults. Then, entering the temple with her daughter in her arms, she offered up Mary to God with devout and tender tears. In her heart she heard a voice urging her to renew her vow to give Mary to God's service in the temple within three years. At the same time Mary herself, seeing the grandeur of these buildings dedicated to the worship of the Lord, wished that she could prostrate herself on the floor and kiss it, but as she could not she prayed, O Most High God, I adore thee in thy holy temple, accept me, O Lord, so that I may serve thee in this holy house according to thy blessed will. As a proof that her prayer was granted, a beam of bright light shone down from heaven onto the mother and child, and while St. Anne renewed her vow, the angels sang hymns of praise to Almighty God. The holy man Simeon had been deeply moved when he saw St. Anne and Mary, and now as he dimly perceived the mystic light he asked himself, Are these women perhaps the parents of the messiahs, and he prayed still more fervently for the coming of the Redeemer. The devil had also been studying St. Anne, but when he saw that she humbly submitted to all the regulations of the priests and even asked them to intercede for her, he decided that she was just another pious woman. During the next three years in the home of her loving mother Mary was treated as other children of her age and passed her infancy subject to the common laws of nature. However she never cried or caused anyone any trouble. Even as a baby she maintained a pleasant continence mixed with gravity and a certain majesty. While she showed a special affection for her mother and father, they were inspired by God to handle and caress her with unusual restraint. She ate less than other children and she slept much less, for whenever she could she prayed and meditated and performed interior acts of love for God. When she accepted any service or benefits from anyone she always received it with humble gratitude and begged the Lord to reward that person. Being in possession of all her faculties even from birth Mary could have talked quite clearly and intelligently even as a baby if she had wished to. But out of modesty and submission to the will of God she deliberately refrained from speaking at all until she was a year and a half old. However when alone she did often converse with her guardian angels and in secret she also prayed verbally to the Lord. Though she was thus filled with the light of God in his mysteries, nevertheless Mary judged herself to be the least of all his creatures and she always ascribed to herself the last place of all. Whenever during that first year and a half Saint Anne freed her daughter's little arms and hands, Mary would immediately grasp her dear parents' hands and kiss them with reverent humility. In fact she continued this practice as long as they lived. When she reached the age of eighteen months Almighty God urged her to pray many times every day for the coming of the Messiahs and he told her that it was now time for her to converse with others. But Mary exclaimed, O my Lord, I beseech thee, consider my frailty. To avoid all risk of losing thee I would rather keep silence all my life. God promised her however that he would assist her in directing all her words to his service and glory. Therefore one day little Mary spoke her first words to her beloved parents asking their blessing. At the same time she showed them that she could walk by herself. With intense joy Saint Anne took Mary into her arms and said, O darling of my heart this is a blessed hour. Let your words be few and well considered and may all your footsteps be directed toward the honor of our creator. During the remaining year and a half before she went to the temple Mary spoke very little except to her mother. In order to make her talk Saint Anne used to call her and ask her to speak of God in his mysteries. Mary however would humbly beg her mother rather to instruct her. Thus mother and daughter passed many hours in sweet conversation about holy things. Often when Saint Anne watched her dear little girl in their home she shed tears of love and gratitude at the thought that this lovely child was actually chosen by God to be the mother of the savior of mankind. Often they spoke together about his coming and about the fortunate maiden of Israel who would give him to the world and then Mary would become inflamed with ardent love and would innocently picture this happy creature in the most glowing terms of awe and reverence. But Saint Anne never revealed the great secret of her heart. Being eager to express in her actions her conviction that she was the least of God's creatures little Mary tried to help in cleaning and scrubbing the house whenever she could and sometimes when she was alone her angels helped her. While Saint Anne naturally wished to dress her daughter as beautifully as she could Mary soon after she began to talk begged her mother to clothe her in plain ash-gray cloth of cheap and coarse material. Saint Anne yielded as to the form and color but not to the material. Almighty God had already revealed to Mary how grievously the sins of men offended him consequently she would often retire to her room and prostrate herself on the floor and beg for mercy for poor sinners. Even as an infant she practiced penances and mortifications to a point where she taxed her bodily strength. When Mary reached the age of two she began to perform works of charity toward the poor. She begged alms for them from her parents and she set aside parts of her meals for them. Then she would give them what she had saying in her heart, this man, my brother, deserves what he needs and what I possess without deserving it. When she gave her alms to the poor she used to kiss their hands and if she was alone their feet and in each case she prayed fervently to God to give them spiritual graces as well. The blessed virgin said to venerable mother Mary of Agretta, at the first sight of the highest good my heart was wounded with love and I gave myself entirely to him. I underwent the hardships of infancy like other children. I felt hunger, thirst, sleepiness and other infirmities of the body. In all the difficulties which I endured after I was born into the world I was resigned and contented since I had merited none of God's gifts. Be very devout toward my most sweet name.