250 ANDREW J. SHIPMAN MEMORIAL 



from the moment of her existence. To-night in our celebra- 

 tion we salute her in the language used by the Greek Church 

 in that wonderful Acathistos hymn: "Reverently we stand 

 in the house of our God and cry aloud : Hail, Queen of 

 the world ! Hail, Mary, Lady of us all ! Hail, thou, alone 

 immaculate and fair amongst women !" Yet in the midst of 

 our celebration and rejoicing there is no greater or more 

 appropriate theme than the consideration of man's duties to 

 God, to himself and to his neighbor, and its logical ex- 

 tension to his duty towards the State, and the laws which 

 govern him, all of which is exemplified in the most striking 

 manner in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 



We are accustomed to look upon the shrinking maiden 

 of the hills of Galilee as an example of heroic obedience, 

 from a worldly standpoint, but we do not ordinarily view her 

 as a public citizen doing her duty under the law. When we 

 think or speak of civil duties and obedience to the law, her 

 figure does not usually come up as an exemplar of citizen- 

 ship. It is true that she obeyed humbly and cheerfully the 

 salutation of the Most High that she should take upon her- 

 self a motherhood which seemed in her eyes to conflict with 

 her virginity, and gave obedience with a serene confidence 

 which has made her "blessed amongst women." Yet I think 

 she can stand also as an exponent of civic duty both under 

 the Roman and the Jewish law in such a manner that may 

 well make her a pattern and example for us of later days. 



You remember that Judea had its own code of laws, which 

 every Jewish citizen obeyed. When the Romans made Pales- 

 tine a conquered Roman province, they imposed their laws 

 and decrees upon the people also. Here, then, were both the 

 laws of a God-fearing people and the laws of a pagan em- 

 pire, each to be obeyed in their respective spheres. But one 

 to whom the Angel had said : "Thou shalt bring forth a son ; 

 he shall be great and shall be the Son of the Most High," 

 might well disregard the laws of pagan Rome and the re- 

 quirements of the Mosaic code. If private judgment of our 

 modern type had dominated her, she might well have said : 

 I am the mother of the maker and creator of all laws, and I 

 am not to be bound by any laws imposed by earthly authority. 

 I am the mother and director of Him who made all things, 

 even the law-givers, and I will not bow to the decrees of lesser 



