Mary Is Our Life, Because She Obtains for Us the Pardon of Our Sins
In order to understand rightly why holy Church calls Mary our life, we must consider that, as the soul gives life to the body, so divine grace gives life to the soul; for a soul without grace, though nominally alive, is in truth dead, as we read in the Apocalypse: “Thou hast the name of being alive, and thou art dead” (Apoc. 3:1). Since, then, Mary obtains for sinners, by her intercession, the gift of grace, she restores them to life. Holy Church applies to her the following words of Proverbs: “They that in the morning early watch for me, shall find me” (Prov. 8:17). They shall find me, or, according to the Septuagint, “they shall find grace.” To have recourse to Mary, then, is to find the grace of God; for, as the passage immediately continues: “He that shall find me, shall find life, and shall have salvation from the Lord.” Listen, exclaims St. Bonaventure upon these words, listen, all you who desire the kingdom of God: honor the Virgin Mary, and you shall have life and eternal salvation.
St. Bernardine of Siena says that God did not destroy man after his fall because of the special love he bore his future child Mary. And the saint adds that he does not doubt that all the mercy and pardon which sinners received under the Old Law was granted them by God solely for the sake of this blessed Virgin.
Therefore St. Bernard exhorts us, if we have been so unfortunate as to lose divine grace, to strive to recover it, but to strive through Mary; for if we have lost it, she has found it. And so this saint calls her “the finder of grace.” The angel Gabriel expressed this for our consolation when he said to the Virgin: “Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace” (Luke 1:30). But if Mary had never been without grace, how could the angel say to her that she had found it? A thing is said to be found when it has been lost. The Virgin was always with God and with grace; she was even full of grace, as the Archangel himself announced when he saluted her: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.” If, then, Mary did not find grace for herself, for whom did she find it? Cardinal Hugo answers, commenting upon this passage, that she found it for sinners who had lost it. Let sinners, then, says this devout writer, who have lost grace, flee to Mary; with her they will certainly find it, and let them say: O Lady, what is lost must be restored to him who has lost it; this grace which you have found is not yours, for you have never lost it; it is ours, for we have lost it, and to us you should restore it. In connection with this, Richard of St. Laurence remarks: if, then, we desire to find the grace of God, let us go to Mary, who has found it, and always finds it. And since she ever has been, and ever will be, dear to God, if we have recourse to her, we shall certainly find it. She says, in the holy Canticles, that God has placed her in the world to be our defense, and therefore she is ordained to be the mediatrix of peace between the sinner and God: “I am become in his presence as one finding peace” (Cant. 8:10). By these words St. Bernard gives encouragement to the sinner, and says: Go to this Mother of mercy, and show her the wounds which your sins have inflicted upon your soul. Then she will certainly pray her Son that he may pardon you, by the milk with which she nourished him; and the Son, who loves her so much, will certainly hear her. So, too, holy Church teaches us to pray the Lord to grant us the powerful intercession of Mary, that we may rise from our sins, in the following prayer: “Grant us, O merciful God, strength against all our weakness; that we who celebrate the memory of the holy Mother of God may, by the help of her intercession, rise again from our iniquities.”
Justly, then, does St. Lawrence Justinian call her the hope of evildoers, since she alone can obtain their pardon from God. St. Bernard rightly names her the ladder of sinners, since she, this compassionate Queen, offers her hand to poor fallen mortals, leads them from the precipice of sin, and helps them to ascend to God. St. Augustine rightly calls her the only hope of us sinners, since by her means alone we hope for the remission of all our sins. And St. John Chrysostom repeats the same thing: that sinners receive pardon only through the intercession of Mary. And so the saint, in the name of all sinners, thus salutes her: Hail, Mother of God and ours; Heaven where God dwells; Throne from which the Lord dispenses all graces; always pray to Jesus for us, that by your prayers we may obtain pardon in the day of account, and the glory of the blessed in heaven. Finally, Mary is rightly called the dawn: “Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising?” (Cant. 6:9). Because, as Pope Innocent says, just as the dawn is the end of night and the beginning of day, well is the Virgin Mary, who is the end of vices and the beginning of virtues, designated as the dawn. And the same effect which the birth of Mary produced in the world, devotion to her produces in the soul: she puts an end to the night of sin, and leads the soul into the way of virtue. Hence St. Germanus says: O Mother of God, your protection is immortal, your intercession is life. And in his sermon on the Girdle of the Virgin, the saint says that the name of Mary, to him who pronounces it with affection, is either the sign of life, or a sign that soon he will have life.
Mary sang: “For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). On this account, says St. Bernard, all nations shall call you blessed, because all your servants by your means shall obtain the life of grace and eternal glory. In you sinners find pardon, and the just perseverance, and afterward life eternal. Do not despair, says the devout Bernardine de Bustis, O sinners, although you have committed every possible sin; but confidently have recourse to this Lady, for you will find her hands full of mercies. And then he adds: Mary is more desirous to bestow favors upon you than you are to receive them.
By St. Andrew of Crete, Mary is called the security of divine pardon. By this is meant that, when sinners have recourse to Mary that they may be reconciled to God, God assures them of pardon, and gives them the assurance by also giving them the pledge of it. And this pledge is Mary, whom he has given us for our advocate, by whose intercession, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, God pardons all sinners who place themselves under her protection. It was revealed to St. Bridget by an angel that the holy prophets were full of joy when they learned that God, by the humility and purity of Mary, would become reconciled to sinners, and receive into his favor those who had provoked his wrath.
No sinner need ever fear that he will be rejected by Mary, if he has recourse to her mercy. No, for she is the Mother of mercy, and as such she desires to save the most miserable. Mary is that happy ark in which whoever takes refuge will never suffer the shipwreck of eternal ruin. Even the brute animals were saved in the time of the deluge in the ark of Noe; so, under the mantle of Mary, even sinners are saved. St. Gertrude one day saw Mary with her mantle extended, beneath which many wild beasts—lions, bears, and tigers—had sheltered themselves; and Mary not only did not cast them from her, but received them with pity and caressed them. And by this the saint understood that the vilest sinners, when they flee to Mary, are not cast out, but welcomed and saved from eternal death. Let us enter, then, into this ark, and seek refuge under the mantle of Mary; for she certainly will not reject us, and will surely save us.
Example
It is related by Father Bovius, of a very sinful woman named Helen, that having gone to church, she accidentally heard a sermon on the rosary. As she went out she bought one, but carried it hidden, so that it should not be seen. Afterward she began to recite it; and although she recited it without devotion, the most holy Virgin infused into her heart such consolation and sweetness in it that she could not cease repeating it. And by this she was inspired with such a horror of her evil life that she could find no peace, and was forced, as it were, to go to confession. She confessed with so much contrition that the confessor was amazed. Having finished her confession, she went immediately before an altar of the blessed Virgin to thank her advocate; she recited her rosary, and the divine Mother spoke to her from her image, and said: “Helen, you have too long offended God and me; henceforth change your life, and I will bestow upon you many of my favors.” The poor sinner, in confusion, answered: “Ah, most holy Virgin, it is true that hitherto I have been very sinful; but you, who are all-powerful, assist me. I give myself to you, and will pass the remainder of my life in doing penance for my sins.” Assisted by Mary, Helen bestowed all her goods upon the poor, and began a rigorous penance. She was tormented by dreadful temptations, but she continued to recommend herself to the Mother of God, and always, with her aid, came off victorious. She was favored also with many supernatural graces, such as visions, revelations, and prophecies. At last, before her death—of which she had been warned a few days previously by Mary—the Virgin herself came with her Son to visit her; and in death, the soul of this sinner was seen, in the form of a beautiful dove, ascending to heaven.
Prayer
Behold, O Mother of my God, Mary, my only hope, behold at your feet a miserable sinner, who implores your mercy. You are proclaimed and called by the whole Church, and by all the faithful, the refuge of sinners; you, then, are my refuge; it is yours to save me. You know how much your Son desires our salvation. You know, too, what Jesus Christ suffered to save me. I offer to you, O my Mother, the sufferings of Jesus: the cold which he endured in the stable, the steps of his long journey into Egypt, his toils, his sweat, the blood that he shed, the torments which caused his death before your eyes upon the cross. Show your love for this Son, while I, for the love of him, beg you to aid me. Extend your hand to a fallen creature who asks your pity. If I were a saint, I would not ask for mercy; but because I am a sinner, I have recourse to you, who are the Mother of mercies. I know that your compassionate heart finds consolation in succoring the wretched, when you can aid them, and do not find them obstinate in their sins. Console, then, today your own compassionate heart, and console me; for you have a chance to save me, a poor wretch condemned to hell; and you can aid me, for I will not be obstinate. I place myself in your hands; tell me what I must do, and obtain for me strength to do it, and I will do all I can to return to a state of grace. I take refuge beneath your mantle. Jesus Christ wills me to have recourse to you, that, for your glory and his, since you are his Mother, not only his blood, but also your prayers, may aid me to obtain salvation. He sends me to you that you may assist me. O Mary, I hasten to you, and in you I trust. You pray for so many others; pray, and say also one word for me. Say to God that you desire my salvation, and God certainly will save me. Tell him that I am yours; this is all I ask of you.
Mary Is Again Our Life, Because She Obtains for Us Perseverance
Final perseverance is a divine gift so great that, as the holy Council of Trent has declared, it is a wholly gratuitous gift, and one that cannot be merited by us. But, as St. Augustine teaches us, all those obtain perseverance from God who ask it of him; and, as Father Suarez says, they infallibly obtain it if they are diligent in praying for it to the end of life. For, as Cardinal Bellarmine writes, this perseverance is to be sought daily, that it may daily be obtained. Now, if it is true—which I hold to be certain, according to the very general opinion now held, as I shall show in chapter five—that all the graces bestowed on us by God pass through the hands of Mary, then it must also be true that only through Mary can we hope for and obtain this great gift of perseverance. And we shall certainly obtain it if, with confidence, we always ask it of Mary. She herself promises this grace to all those who serve her faithfully in this life: “They that work by me shall not sin; they that explain me shall have life everlasting” (Ecclus. 24:30–31), which words the holy Church puts into the mouth of Mary on the Feast of her Conception.
In order that we may be preserved in the life of divine grace, spiritual strength is necessary to resist all the enemies of our salvation. Now, this strength can only be obtained by means of Mary. “Mine is this strength,” says Mary; God has entrusted this gift to my hand, that I may bestow it on my devoted servants. “By me kings reign” (Prov. 8:15)—by me my servants reign, and rule their senses and their passions, and so make themselves worthy of reigning eternally in heaven. Oh, what strength have the servants of this great Lady to conquer all the temptations of hell! Mary is that tower spoken of in the holy Canticles: “Thy neck is as the tower of David, which is built with bulwarks; a thousand bucklers hang upon it, all the armor of valiant men” (Cant. 4:4). She is like a strong tower of defense for her lovers, who take refuge with her in the day of battle; in her all her devoted servants find shields and weapons of every kind to defend themselves against the powers of hell.
For this reason the most holy Virgin is called a plane-tree: “As a plane-tree by the water in the streets was I exalted” (Ecclus. 24:19). This passage is explained by Cardinal Hugo, who tells us that the plane-tree has leaves like shields; and by this is meant the defense that Mary affords those who take refuge with her. Blessed Amadeus gives another explanation, and says that she is called a plane-tree because, just as the plane-tree with its shade protects the traveler from the heat of the sun and from the rain, so under the mantle of Mary men find shelter from the heat of their passions and the fury of temptations.
Unfortunate are those souls who withdraw from this shelter, who neglect their devotion to Mary, and who fail to commend themselves to her in trial. If the sun should no more rise upon the world, says St. Bernard, what would the world become but a chaos of darkness and horror? If a soul loses her devotion to Mary, she will at once be full of darkness—that darkness of which the Holy Spirit says: “Thou hast appointed darkness, and it is night; in it shall all the beasts of the woods go about” (Ps. 103:20). When the divine light does not shine in a soul, it is night, and it becomes a den of all sins and demons. Woe to those, as St. Anselm says, who turn away from the light of this sun—that is, who neglect devotion to Mary. St. Francis Borgia, with good reason, feared for the perseverance of those in whom he did not find a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin. Once, when he asked some novices to which saint they had the most devotion, and found that some of them were not especially devoted to Mary, he warned the master to watch these unfortunate persons more carefully; and it happened that they all lost their vocation and left religious life.
St. Germanus justly called the most holy Virgin the breath of Christians; for, as the body cannot live without breathing, so the soul cannot live without having recourse and commending itself to Mary, through whose means the life of divine grace is obtained for us and preserved in us. As respiration is not only the sign but also the cause of life, so the name of Mary, when it is spoken by the servants of God, not only proves that they are living, but procures and maintains this life, and obtains for them every help. Blessed Alanus, when once assailed by a strong temptation, was on the point of being lost because he neglected to commend himself to Mary; but the Blessed Virgin appeared to him, and, to warn him against such neglect in the future, gave him a blow on the ear and said to him: “If you had commended yourself to me, you would not have been exposed to this peril.”
On the other hand: “Blessed is the man,” says Mary, “that heareth me, and that watcheth daily at my gates, and waiteth at the posts of my doors” (Prov. 8:34). Mary will certainly be ready to obtain light and strength for those faithful servants, that they may abandon their vices and walk in the paths of virtue. And so she is, as Innocent III beautifully expresses it, the moon by night, the dawn of the morning, and the sun by day. The moon, to him who is groping in the night of sin, to give him light to see his wretched state of condemnation; the dawn, the forerunner of the sun, to him who is enlightened, that he may come forth from sin and return to divine grace; and the sun, to him who is in grace, that he may not again fall into any precipice.
Theologians apply to Mary these words of Ecclesiasticus: “Her bands are a healthful binding” (Ecclus. 6:31). Why are they called bands, asks St. Lawrence Justinian, unless because she binds her servants, that they may not wander in forbidden fields? St. Bonaventure explains in a similar way the words of the office of Mary: “My abode is in the full assembly of saints” (Ecclus. 24:16). He says that Mary is not only established in the fullness of the saints, but that she also upholds the saints, that they may not fall away; she sustains their virtue, that it may not waver, and she prevents the demons from doing them harm.
It is said that “all her domestics are clothed with double garments” (Prov. 31:21). Cornelius a Lapide thus describes this double garment: it is a double garment, because she clothes her servants with the virtues of her Son as well as with her own; and, thus clothed, they will preserve holy perseverance. For this reason St. Philip Neri always admonished his penitents, saying to them: My children, if you desire perseverance, be devout to Mary. The venerable brother John Berchmans, of the Company of Jesus, also said: He who loves Mary shall have perseverance. Very beautiful is the reflection which Rupert the abbot makes upon the prodigal son: if the mother of this prodigal son had been living, he would either never have left his father’s house, or would have returned much sooner. By this he wished to say that he who is a child of Mary either never departs from God, or, if to his misfortune he does depart, by means of Mary he quickly returns.
Oh, if all men loved this most kind and loving Lady, and in temptations always and at once had recourse to her, who would fall? Who would be lost? He falls and is lost who does not flee to Mary. St. Lawrence Justinian applies to Mary these words of Ecclesiasticus: “I have walked in the waves of the sea” (Ecclus. 24:8); and he makes her say: I walked with my servants in the midst of the tempests to which they are exposed, to help them and to prevent them from falling into the precipice of sin.
Father Bernardine de Bustis relates that a hawk darted upon a bird which had been taught to say “Hail Mary”; the bird said “Hail Mary,” and the hawk fell dead. By this our Lord wished to show us that, if an irrational bird was saved from destruction by invoking Mary, how much more surely will he be kept from falling into the power of evil spirits who is mindful to invoke Mary in his temptations. Nothing remains to be done, says St. Thomas of Villanova, when the devil comes to tempt us, but, like the chickens when the kite appears, to run quickly under the shelter of our Mother’s wings. Let us, then, at the approach of the temptations that assail us, without stopping to parley with them, place ourselves at once under the protection of Mary. And then, the saint goes on to say, our Lady and Mother must defend us; for, after God, we have no refuge but you, who are our only hope, and the only protectress in whom we may confide.
Let us, then, conclude with the words of St. Bernard. O man, whoever you are, know that in this miserable life you are tossing on the tempestuous waves, among dangers and storms, rather than walking upon the earth; if you would not sink, keep your eye fixed on this star—namely, Mary. Look at the star, invoke Mary. When in danger of sinning, when tormented by temptations, when doubts disturb you, remember that Mary can aid you, and instantly call upon her. May her powerful name never depart from the confidence of your heart, nor from the invocation of your lips. If you follow Mary, you will never wander from the path of safety. Commend yourself always to her, and you will not despair. If she upholds you, you will not fall. If she protects you, you need not fear ruin. If she guides you, you will be saved without difficulty. In a word, if Mary undertakes to defend you, you will certainly arrive at the kingdom of the blessed. Do this, and you shall live.
Example
In the celebrated history of St. Mary of Egypt, which we find in the first volume of the Lives of the Fathers, we read that at twelve years of age she fled from her parents and went to Alexandria, where she led an infamous life and became the scandal of the city. After sixteen years spent in sin, she wandered off to Jerusalem; and there, on the festival of the Holy Cross, she was led to enter the church, more from curiosity than from devotion. On the threshold she was thrust back, as if by some invisible power; she attempted a second time to enter, and again was repelled; and a third and a fourth time the same thing happened. The wretched creature then withdrew into a corner of the portico, and there she was inwardly enlightened, and saw that God had refused her entrance into the church on account of her wicked life. By chance she raised her eyes and saw a picture of Mary that was painted in the vestibule. She turned to it, weeping, and said: “O Mother of God, have pity on this poor sinner! I know that, on account of my sins, I do not deserve that you should regard me; but you are the refuge of sinners. For the love of Jesus, your Son, help me. Obtain for me that I may enter the church, for I desire to change my life, and to go and do penance wherever you shall direct me.”
Then she heard an interior voice, as if the Blessed Virgin answered her: “Since you have invoked me, and wish to change your life, come, enter the church, for the door will no longer be closed against you.” The sinner entered, adored the cross, and wept. She returned to the picture: “O Lady,” she said, “I am ready; where shall I retire to do penance?” “Go,” said the Virgin, “beyond the Jordan, and you will find the place of your repose.” She made her confession, received holy communion, crossed the river, reached the desert, and understood that there was her place of penance. During the first seventeen years that she lived in the desert, the evil spirits fiercely assailed her, to make her fall again. What did she do? She commended herself to Mary, and Mary obtained for her strength to resist for those seventeen years, after which the conflict ceased. Finally, after fifty-seven years spent in the desert, in the eighty-seventh year of her age, through Divine Providence she was found by the abbot St. Zosimus. To him she related the story of her whole life, and begged him to return the following year and bring her holy communion. The holy abbot returned and gave her communion. Then she implored him to come once more. He returned a second time, and found her dead, her body surrounded with light, and at her head these words written in the sand: “Bury in this place the body of me, a miserable sinner, and pray to God for me.” A lion came and dug her grave; the abbot buried her, and, returning to the monastery, related the wonders of divine mercy toward this happy penitent.
Prayer
O Mother of mercy! O holy Virgin! Behold at your feet the traitor who, returning ingratitude for the favors received through you from God, has betrayed both you and God. But, O my Lady, know that my misery does not destroy, but increases, my confidence in you; because I see that my misery increases your compassion for me. Show, O Mary, that you are the same to me as you are to all those who invoke you, full of grace and mercy. It is enough for me that you regard me with compassion. If in your heart you have pity for me, you will not cease to protect me; and if you protect me, what should I fear? No, I fear nothing. I fear not my sins, for you can remedy their evil consequences; nor the demons, for you are more powerful than hell; nor your Son, who is justly angry with me, for at one word of yours he will be appeased. I only fear that through negligence I may fail to implore your protection in my temptations, and that this may cause my ruin. But I promise you today that I will always have recourse to you. Help me to keep this resolution. Behold the opportunity you have of satisfying your desire to relieve so miserable a creature as I am.
O Mother of God, I have great confidence in you. From you I expect the grace to do worthy penance for my sins, and from you I hope for the strength never more to fall back into them. If I am sick, you can heal me, O heavenly physician. If my sins have made me weak, your help can make me strong. O Mary, I hope for everything from you, for you have all power with God.
Mary Renders Death Sweet to Her Servants
“He that is a friend loveth at all times; and a brother is proved in distress” (Prov. 17:17). True friends and relatives are not known in times of prosperity, but in the season of adversity and misery. Worldly friends do not desert their friend when he is in prosperity; but if any misfortune overtakes him, particularly in the hour of death, his friends abandon him at once. Not so does Mary desert her devoted servants. In their distresses, and especially at the trying hour of death, when our sufferings are the greatest that can be endured on earth, she, our good Lady and Mother, cannot abandon her faithful servants. As she is our life during the time of our exile, so is she also our sweetness in the hour of death, obtaining for us that it may be sweet and blessed. For since that great day on which it was the lot and the grief of Mary to be present at the death of Jesus her Son, who was the head of the elect, she obtained the grace of aiding all the elect at their death. And so the holy Church bids us pray the Blessed Virgin that she would especially aid us in the hour of our death: “Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”
The sufferings of the dying are very great, on account of their remorse for the sins they have committed, their dread of the approaching judgment, and the uncertainty of their eternal salvation. At that moment especially, the devil puts forth all his power to gain the soul that is passing into eternity, knowing that the time is short in which he may win her, and that if he loses her, he has lost her forever: “The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time” (Apoc. 12:12). And therefore the devil, who has always tempted her in life, will not be content to tempt her alone in death, but calls companions to his aid: “Their houses shall be filled with serpents” (Isa. 13:21). When anyone is at the point of death, his house is filled with demons who unite to accomplish his ruin.
It is related of St. Andrew Avellino that at the time of his death ten thousand devils came to tempt him; and we read in his life that in his agony he had so fierce a struggle with hell that it caused all the good religious who were present to tremble. They saw the face of the saint swell with agitation, so that it became black; they saw all his limbs trembling and greatly agitated, rivers of tears flowing from his eyes, and his head shaking violently—all of them signs of the horrible assault he was suffering from the powers of hell. All the religious wept in compassion, redoubled their prayers, and trembled with fear when they saw that a saint died thus. Yet they were consoled to see that the saint often turned his eyes, as if seeking help, toward a devout image of Mary; for they remembered that he had often said in life that in the hour of his death Mary must be his refuge. It finally pleased God to end this struggle by a glorious victory: the agitation of his body ceased, his countenance regained its natural shape and color, and fixing his eyes tranquilly on that image, he devoutly bowed his head to Mary—who, it is believed, then appeared to him—as if to thank her, and quietly breathed forth his blessed soul in her arms, with heavenly peace depicted on his face. At the same time a Capuchin nun, in her own agony, turned to the religious who were with her and said: “Say a Hail Mary, for a saint has just died.”
Ah, how these rebels flee before the presence of their Queen! If, in the hour of death, we have Mary on our side, what fear can we have of all the powers of hell? David, in dread of the agony of death, comforted himself with confidence in the death of his future Redeemer and in the intercession of the Virgin Mother: “Though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me” (Ps. 22:4). Cardinal Hugo understands the staff to signify the tree of the Cross, and the rod the intercession of Mary, who was the rod foretold by Isaias: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root” (Isa. 11:1). This divine Mother, says St. Peter Damian, is that powerful rod by which the fury of the infernal enemies is conquered. And so St. Antoninus encourages us, saying: If Mary is for us, who is against us? Father Manuel Padial, of the Society of Jesus, being at the point of death, saw Mary appear to him, and she said, to comfort him: “The hour has at length come when the angels, rejoicing, say to you: Oh happy labors! Oh mortifications well rewarded!” At these words an army of devils was seen taking flight in despair, crying: “Alas! we have no power, for she who is without stain defends him.” In like manner, the devils assailed Father Jasper Haywood when he was dying with great temptations against the faith; he immediately commended himself to the most holy Virgin, and then was heard to exclaim: “I thank you, O Mary, that you have come to my aid.”
St. Bonaventure says that Mary sends the archangel Michael, with all the angels, to the defense of her dying servants, to protect them from the assaults of evil spirits, and to receive the souls of all those who have especially and constantly commended themselves to her.
When a man leaves this life, Isaias says that hell is in an uproar, and sends its most terrible demons to tempt that soul before it leaves the body, and then afterward to accuse it when it is presented at the tribunal of Jesus Christ to be judged: “Hell below was in an uproar to meet thee; at thy coming it stirred up the giants for thee” (Isa. 14:9). But Richard says that the demons, when that soul is defended by Mary, will not even dare to accuse it, knowing that a soul protected by this great Mother is never condemned, and never will be. St. Jerome wrote to the virgin Eustochium that Mary not only assists her dear servants in their death, but also comes to meet them in their passage to the other life, to encourage them and accompany them to the divine tribunal. And this agrees with what the Blessed Virgin said to St. Bridget, speaking of her servants when they are at the point of death: “Then I, their most loving Lady and Mother, hasten to them in death, that they may have consolation and comfort.” St. Vincent Ferrer adds: The Blessed Virgin receives the souls of the dying. The loving Queen receives their souls under her protection, and she herself presents them to the Judge, her Son, and thus surely procures their salvation. This happened to Charles, son of St. Bridget, who died in the perilous profession of a soldier, far from his mother. The saint feared for his salvation; but the Blessed Virgin revealed to her that Charles was saved for the love he bore her, in recompense of which she had assisted him in death, and had prompted him to make the Christian acts necessary at that moment. The saint saw at the same time Jesus upon a throne, and the devil bringing two accusations against the most holy Virgin: the first, that Mary had prevented him from tempting Charles at the moment of death; the second, that Mary herself had presented his soul to its Judge, and thus had saved it without even giving him an opportunity to set forth the reasons why he claimed it as his own. She then saw the devil driven from the presence of the Judge, and the soul of Charles taken to heaven.
“Her bands are a healthful binding; in the latter end thou shalt find rest in her” (Ecclus. 6:29, 31). Blessed are you, O brother, if in death you shall find yourself bound by the sweet chains of love for the Mother of God! These chains are chains of salvation, which will secure to you eternal salvation, and give you in death that blessed peace which will be the beginning of your eternal peace and rest. Father Binetti, in his book On the Perfections of Our Lady, relates that, having been present at the death of a devoted servant of Mary, he heard from him these words before he breathed his last: “Oh, my Father, if you knew what happiness I find in having served the most holy Mother of God! I could not describe to you the joy I feel at this moment.” Father Suarez, because he was all his life very devoted to Mary, used to say that he would willingly exchange all his learning for the merit of a single Hail Mary; and he died with so much joy that he exclaimed at his last moment, “I never imagined it would be so sweet to die.” You too, devout reader, will doubtless feel the same peace and joy, if at death you can remember having loved this good Mother, who cannot but be faithful to her children when they are faithful to her service—paying her their offerings of visits, rosaries, and fastings, and especially thanking her, praising her, and often commending themselves to her powerful protection.
Nor will you be deprived of this consolation on account of your sins, if from this time forward you will be careful to live well and to serve this most grateful and gracious Lady. In the trials and temptations with which the devil will assail you, that he may throw you into despair, she will comfort you, and even come herself to assist you in death. Marino, brother of St. Peter Damian, as the saint himself relates, finding that he had offended God, went one day before an altar of Mary to dedicate himself to her service, putting his girdle around his neck in token of his servitude, and said: “My Lady, mirror of purity, I, a poor sinner, have offended God and you by violating chastity. I have no other remedy than to offer myself as your servant; to your service I dedicate myself today. Receive this rebel; do not despise me.” He then laid on the altar a certain sum of money, promising to pay the same every year as a tribute of his devotion to Mary. After some time Marino fell ill; but before his death he was heard one morning to say: “Arise, arise, pay homage to my Lady”; and afterward: “What a favor is this, O Queen of heaven, that you should deign to visit your poor servant. Bless me, O Lady, and permit me not to be lost after you have honored me with your presence.” At this moment his brother Peter entered. Marino related to him the visit of Mary, and how she had blessed him, lamenting that those present had not arisen at her entrance; and shortly after he quietly passed away to our Lord. Such will be your death also, O my reader, if you are faithful to Mary, even if in your past life you have offended God. She will give you a sweet and happy death.
And if then you are greatly alarmed and lose courage at the sight of the sins you have committed, she will come to comfort you, as she came to Adolphus, Count of Alsace, who, having left the world to become a Franciscan, was, as the chronicles relate, very devoted to the Mother of God. His last days arrived, and at the remembrance of the life he had led in the world, and of the rigor of divine justice, he began to fear death and to doubt of his salvation. Then Mary, who never sleeps when her faithful servants are in trouble, appeared to him accompanied by many saints, and encouraged him with these tender words of consolation: “My dear Adolphus, you are mine, you have given yourself to me; then why do you so greatly fear death?” The servant of Mary was consoled by these words; every fear disappeared, and he died in great peace and contentment.
Let us too, although we are sinners, take courage and have the confidence that Mary will come to assist us in death and console us by her presence, if we serve and love her during the remainder of our life on this earth. Our Queen, speaking one day to St. Matilda, promised that she would be present at the death of all those devoted children who had faithfully served her in life. O my God, what a consolation it must be in that last hour of life, when our lot for eternity is to be decided, to find close by our side the Queen of heaven, who sustains and comforts us by promising us her protection! Besides the examples already cited of the assistance afforded by Mary to her faithful servants, there are innumerable others to be found in various books. This favor was granted to St. Clare, to St. Felix the Capuchin, to Blessed Clara of Montefalco, to St. Teresa, and to St. Peter of Alcantara. But for our common consolation, I will mention the following few. Father Crasset relates that St. Mary of Oignies saw the Blessed Virgin by the pillow of a devout widow of Villembroe, who was tormented by a burning fever. The most holy Mary was standing by her side, consoling her and cooling her with a fan. St. John of God, at his death, expected a visit from Mary, to whom he was greatly devoted; but finding that she did not come, he was afflicted, and perhaps complained a little. At length the holy Mother appeared to him, and as if reproaching him for his lack of confidence, said to him these tender words, which should encourage all the servants of Mary: “John, it is not in my heart, at this hour, to desert my children.” As if she had said to him: My John, what were you thinking—that I had abandoned you? Do you not know that I cannot abandon my devoted children in the hour of death? I did not come before, because it was not yet time; but now I come, ready to take you. Let us go to paradise. And soon after, the saint expired, and flew to heaven to give thanks eternally to his most loving Queen.
Example
I will now relate another example by way of conclusion to the subject of which I have just been speaking, and for the sake of showing how great is the tenderness of this good Mother toward her children when they are dying.
The pastor of a certain place went to assist at the deathbed of a rich man. He was dying in a splendid house, and a multitude of relations, friends, and servants surrounded his bed. But among these, the priest saw a number of devils in the shape of hounds, who waited to seize upon his soul, and who actually did so; for he died in sin. At the same time the priest was sent for by a poor woman who was dying and desired the holy sacraments. Not being able to leave the dying rich man, whose soul was so much in need of his assistance, he sent another priest to her, who accordingly went, carrying with him the Blessed Sacrament. In the dwelling of that good woman he found no servants, no retinue, no splendid furniture, for she was very poor, and we may suppose had only a little straw to lie upon. But what does he see? He sees in that room a great light, and near the bed of the dying woman was Mary, the Mother of God, who was consoling her, and with a cloth was wiping the sweat from her brow. The priest, seeing Mary, had not the courage to enter; but she made a motion to him to approach. He entered, and Mary pointed to a seat, that he might sit down and hear the confession of her servant. The poor woman then made her confession, received the holy sacrament with much devotion, and at last expired happily in the arms of Mary.
Prayer
O my sweetest Mother, what will my death be—the death of a poor sinner? Even now, when I think of that great moment in which I must die and be presented at the divine tribunal, and when I remember how often, by my wicked consent, I have myself written my own sentence of condemnation, I tremble, I am confounded, and I fear greatly for my eternal salvation. O Mary, my hope is in the blood of Jesus and in your intercession. You are the Queen of heaven, the Lady of the universe! It is enough to say that you are the Mother of God. You are great, but your greatness does not separate you from us; it even inclines you to have more compassion on our miseries. When our earthly friends are raised to any dignity, they withdraw themselves from those whom they have left in a lowly estate, and will not condescend even to look at them. But it is not so with your loving and noble heart. Where you behold the greatest misery, there you are most intent on giving relief. When you are invoked, you come at once to our aid, and even anticipate our prayers; you console us in our afflictions, calm all our tempests, and put down our enemies; in a word, you never let slip an opportunity of doing us good. Ever blessed be that divine hand which has united in you so much majesty and so much tenderness, so much greatness and so much love! I always thank our Lord, and congratulate myself, that I can regard your happiness and mine, your fate and mine, as one. O consoler of the afflicted, console in his affliction one who commends himself to you. I am tortured with remorse for my many sins; I am uncertain whether I have repented of them as I ought; I see how corrupt and imperfect are all my works. The devil is awaiting my death in order to accuse me. Divine justice, which I have violated, must be satisfied. O my Mother, what will become of me? If you do not aid me, I am lost. Answer me: will you aid me? O merciful Virgin, console me; obtain for me strength to amend, and to be faithful to God during what remains to me of life. And when I shall find myself in the last agony of death, O Mary, my hope, do not abandon me; then more than ever assist me, and save me from despair at the sight of my sins, of which the devils will accuse me. O Lady, pardon my boldness; come yourself to console me by your presence. Grant me this favor, which you have bestowed on so many; I also desire it. If my boldness is great, greater still is your goodness, which seeks out the most miserable to console them. In this, your goodness, I trust. May it be to your eternal glory that you have saved from hell a miserable wretch, and brought him to your kingdom, where I hope to console myself by being always at your feet, to thank, bless, and love you throughout eternity. O Mary, I wait for you; do not leave me then disconsolate. Come, come. Amen, amen.
Points for Reflection
1. “To have recourse to Mary, then, is to find the grace of God.”
2. “If a soul loses her devotion to Mary, she will at once be full of darkness.”
3. “As she is our life during the time of our exile, so is she also our sweetness in the hour of death, obtaining for us that it may be sweet and blessed.”