Page:Withgodbookofpra00las.djvu/80

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they had their sword, too. Books were not to be had. But they took the beads in their hands, and, trusting in her, "terrible as an army in battle array"; in her, "to whom it is given to destroy all heresies," won the greatest spiritual victory in history, "the victory of her faith, which conquered the world." "She became valiant in battle, put to flight the armies of foreigners," and successfully resisted and defeated the greatest and proudest nation of the earth.

The best forms of devotion to Our Lady are — as to her divine Son — hearing Mass and receiving holy communion on her feasts or in her honor, paying visits to her or to her shrines. One may suggest the beads or rosary and the brown scapular — the first because it was the conquering sword of Ireland, and because of the marked approbation and indulgences given to it by many of the Sovereign Pontiffs, and by none of them more than by Pope Leo XIII; who has, we may say, dedicated the month of October to this favorite devotion in honor of the Mother of God. It is also one of the oldest forms of devotion. While respecting all scapulars approved of by the Church, I select the brown, because it is the oldest, the best known, and