irgin and Mother of God, Mary! As thy sacred body after
death was preserved from corruption, and united with thy sinless soul
was borne to heaven by the angels; obtain for me the grace that my life
and death be holy, so that on the Day of Judgment I may arise to glory
everlasting.

Hail Mary, etc.

Ejaculation (located on the first day of the novena).

FOURTH DAY

Reasons for the Bodily Assumption of Mary into Heaven

Preparatory Prayer (located on the first day of the novena).

MEDITATION

1. THE wages of sin is death. Now, as the Blessed Virgin from the first
moment of her existence was preserved from all sin, and even from
original sin, it necessarily follows that death could have no permanent
dominion over her, and that her body would not be permitted to see
corruption.

2. This sinless body had been the medium by which the body of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, who was the conqueror of death, had been formed. How,
then, could such a highly privileged body, a pure and virginal body, be
permitted to pass through corruption and decay?

3. As Mary had yielded up her sacred person to be a dwelling-place for
the Lord of heaven, it seems fitting that this same Lord, in His turn,
should give the kingdom of heaven to her as her resting-place. St.
Bernard expresses this sentiment as follows: "When Our Lord came into
this world, Mary furnished Him with the noblest dwelling on earth, the
temple of her virginal womb. In return, the Lord on this day raises her
up to the highest throne in heaven."

PRACTICE

IF YOU desire to look forward to death without fear, and to expect your
dissolution with confidence, follow the Apostle's injunction,
"Therefore, whilst we have time, let us work good" (_Gal._ vi. 10).
Avoid sin, perform good works, be patient in affliction, and strive to
expiate the punishment due to your sins by voluntary acts of penance,
thus reducing your inclination to sin. Therefore offer up to God every
morning, in a spirit of penitence, all your labors, trials, and
sufferings.

Prayer of the Church (located on the first day of the novena).

Litany of Loreto (located in the list of approved litanies).

_Prayer_

O GLORIOUS Virgin and Mother of God, Mary! I beseech thee through the
ineffable glory thou didst make for thy departure from this world by a
life of retirement, full of merits and virtue, dedicated to God alone;
obtain for me the grace that, following thy example, I may detach my
heart from thi