Mary, an Advocate Powerful to Save All
So great is the authority of mothers over their children that, even though those children may be monarchs with absolute dominion over everyone in their kingdom, their mothers can never become subject to them. It is true that Jesus is now in heaven, where he is seated at the right hand of the Father even as man, as St. Thomas explains, by reason of the hypostatic union with the person of the Word; and he has supreme dominion over all, even over Mary. Yet it will always be true that, during the time our Redeemer lived on this earth, he was pleased to humble himself and make himself subject to Mary, as St. Luke teaches us: “And he was subject to them” (Luke 2:51). St. Ambrose even says that Jesus Christ, having deigned to make Mary his Mother, was obliged as her son to obey her. And therefore, observes Richard of St. Laurence, it is said of the other saints that they are with God; but of Mary alone can it be said that not only was it her lot to be subject to the will of God, but that God was also subject to her will. And as it is said of the other holy virgins that they follow the divine Lamb wherever he goes (Apoc. 14:4), of the Virgin Mary it may be said that the divine Lamb followed her on this earth, having become subject to her.
Hence we may say that, though Mary is in heaven and can no longer command her Son, yet her prayers will always be the prayers of a mother, and therefore most powerful to obtain whatever she asks. Mary, says St. Bonaventure, has this privilege with her Son: that she is most powerful to obtain by her prayers whatever she wills. And why? Precisely for the reason already mentioned, which we will now examine more fully—namely, because the prayers of Mary are the prayers of a mother. And therefore, says St. Peter Damian, the Virgin has all power in heaven as on earth, being able to raise even the most despairing to the hope of salvation. He then adds that, when the Mother asks any favor for us of Jesus Christ (called by the saint the altar of mercy where sinners obtain pardon from God), the Son has such great regard for the prayers of Mary, and such a great desire to please her, that when she prays she seems to command rather than to request, and to be a sovereign rather than a handmaid. Thus would Jesus honor this his dear Mother, who honored him so much in her life, by granting her immediately whatever she asks and desires. St. Germanus beautifully confirms this when he says to the Virgin: You are the Mother of God, all-powerful to save sinners, and you need no other recommendation with God, since you are the Mother of true life.
St. Bernardine of Siena does not hesitate to say that all obey the commands of Mary, even God himself—signifying by these words that God listens to her prayers as though they were commands. Hence St. Anselm thus addresses Mary: The Lord, O holy Virgin, has so highly exalted you that by his favor you can obtain all possible graces for your servants, for your protection is all-powerful. Your help is all-powerful, O Mary, as Cosmas of Jerusalem exclaims. Yes, Mary is all-powerful, adds Richard of St. Laurence, since the queen, by every law, must enjoy the same privileges as the king. For as the power of the Son and the Mother is the same, the Mother is made all-powerful by the all-powerful Son. As St. Antoninus says: God has placed the whole Church not only under the patronage, but also under the dominion of Mary.
Since the Mother, then, must have the same power as the Son, Mary was justly made all-powerful by Jesus, who is all-powerful—it being always true, however, that whereas the Son is all-powerful by nature, the Mother is so by grace. And her omnipotence consists in this: that the Son denies nothing the Mother asks. So it was revealed to St. Bridget, who heard Jesus one day address Mary in these words: “O my Mother, you know how I love you; ask of me, then, whatever you desire, for there is no request of yours that will not be graciously heard by me.” And the reason he added was beautiful: “Mother, when you were on earth, there was nothing you refused to do for love of me; now that I am in heaven, it is just that I refuse nothing you ask of me.” Mary, then, is called all-powerful in the sense in which it can be understood of a creature, who is not capable of any divine attribute. She is all-powerful because she obtains by her prayers whatever she wishes.
With reason, then, O our great advocate, does St. Bernard say to you: You have only to wish, and it is done. And St. Anselm: Whatever you ask, O Virgin, cannot but be done. Wish, and it will be done. Do you wish to raise the most abandoned sinner to an exalted sanctity? To you it is given to do it. Blessed Albertus Magnus represents Mary speaking thus: I have only to be asked to wish, for if I wish, it must be done. Hence St. Peter Damian, contemplating this great power of Mary and praying her to have pity on us, says: O Mary, O our beloved advocate, since you have a heart so compassionate that you cannot behold the miserable without pity, and at the same time have such great power with God to save all those whom you defend, deign to intercede on behalf of us miserable creatures who place in you all our hopes. If our prayers do not move you, may your merciful heart at least move you; may your power at least move you, since God, for this very end, has enriched you with so much power that the richer you are in the power to aid us, so much more compassionate may you be in your desire to aid us. Of this St. Bernard assures us, saying that Mary is abundant in mercy as well as in power; as her charity is most powerful, so also is it most merciful in our behalf, and this is shown to us continually by its effects.
Even when she was living on this earth, the only thought of Mary, after the glory of God, was to relieve the wretched. And we know that even then she enjoyed the privilege of obtaining whatever she asked. This we know from what took place at the wedding feast of Cana in Galilee, when the wine failed and the Blessed Virgin, having compassion on the distress and embarrassment of that family, asked the Son to relieve them by a miracle, making known to him this need: “They have no wine” (John 2:3). Jesus answered: “Woman, what is that to me and to thee? My hour is not yet come” (John 2:4). Observe that, although the Lord appeared to refuse this favor to his Mother by saying, “Of what importance is it, O woman, to me and to you that the wine has failed? It does not become me now to perform any miracle, since the time has not arrived—the time of my preaching, when I must confirm my doctrine with signs”—yet despite this, Mary, as if the Son had already granted her the favor, said to the attendants, “Fill the water-pots with water” (John 2:7). Come, fill the water-pots, and you will be consoled; and Jesus Christ, indeed to please his Mother, changed that water into the best wine. But how can this be? If the time appointed for miracles was the time of preaching, how could it be anticipated by the miracle of the wine, contrary to the divine decree? Nothing, answers St. Augustine, was done contrary to the divine decree; for although, generally speaking, the time for signs had not come, yet from eternity God had established by another general decree that nothing the divine Mother could ask should be denied her. And therefore Mary, well acquainted with her privilege, although her Son seemed to have then set aside her petition, said nevertheless that the water-pots should be filled, as though the favor was already granted. This is what St. John Chrysostom would express when, commenting on the passage of John mentioned above—“Woman, what is that to me and to thee?”—he says that, although Jesus had answered thus, yet for the honor of his Mother he did not fail to comply with her request. St. Thomas confirms the same when he observes that by these words—“My hour is not yet come”—Jesus Christ wished to show that he would have deferred the miracle if another had asked him to perform it; but because his Mother asked it, he immediately performed it. St. Cyril and St. Jerome confirm this, according to Barrada. And Jansenius of Ghent says, commenting on the same passage of St. John: That he might honor his Mother, he anticipated the time of working miracles.
In a word, it is certain that no creature can obtain for us miserable sinners so many mercies as this good advocate, who is honored by God with this privilege not only as his beloved handmaid, but also as his true Mother. William of Paris says this when addressing her. It is enough that Mary speaks, and the Son does all she wishes. The Lord, speaking to the spouse of the Canticles, by whom is understood Mary, says: “Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the friends hearken; make me hear thy voice” (Cant. 8:13). The friends are the saints, who, when they ask any favor for their clients, wait until their Queen prays to God for it and obtains it; for, as was said before in Chapter V, no favor is dispensed except by the intercession of Mary. And how does Mary obtain favors? It is enough that her Son hears her voice: “Make me hear thy voice.” It is enough that she speaks, and her Son immediately hears her. William of Paris, explaining the passage above in the same way, introduces the Son, who thus addresses Mary: O you who dwell in the celestial gardens, intercede with confidence for whomever you will, for I cannot forget that I am your Son, or think of refusing anything to my Mother. It is enough for you to speak, and your Son will graciously hear and grant your petition. The Abbot Godfrey says that Mary, although she obtains favors by praying, yet prays with a kind of maternal authority; hence we may be sure that she will obtain whatever she desires and asks for us.
It is related of Coriolanus, by Valerius Maximus, that when he held Rome besieged, all the prayers of his friends and of the citizens could not induce him to withdraw his forces; but when his mother Veturia came to entreat him, he could not resist, and immediately raised the siege. But the prayers of Mary are as much more powerful with Jesus than the prayers of Veturia with her son as the love and gratitude of Jesus toward Mary exceed that of the son of Veturia for his mother. Father Justin Micoviensis writes: One sigh of Mary has more power than the prayers of all the saints united. The devil himself confessed this same thing to St. Dominic when, constrained by his commands, he spoke through the mouth of a possessed person, saying, as Father Paciucchelli narrates, that one sigh of Mary availed more with God than the united prayers of all the saints.
St. Antoninus says that the prayers of the Blessed Virgin, being the prayers of a mother, have a certain kind of authority; hence it is impossible that she should not be heard when she prays. On this account St. Germanus encourages sinners to commend themselves to this advocate with these words: You, O Mary, having the authority of a mother with God, obtain pardon for the vilest sinners; for the Lord, who in all things recognizes you for his true Mother, cannot refuse to grant whatever you ask. St. Bridget, too, heard the saints in heaven saying to the Virgin: What is there that you cannot do? Whatever you desire is done. To this corresponds that celebrated verse: What God can effect by a command, you, O Virgin, can effect by a prayer. Is it not, says St. Augustine, worthy of the goodness of the Lord thus to guard the honor of his Mother? For he asserts that he has come on the earth not to break, but to fulfill the law, which, among other things, commands us to honor our parents. St. George, Archbishop of Nicomedia, even adds that Jesus Christ grants his Mother all her petitions as if to satisfy the obligation he is under to her for having caused, by her consent, that human nature should be given him. And so St. Methodius the martyr exclaims: Rejoice, O Mary, that a Son has fallen to your lot as your debtor, who gives to all and receives from none. We are all debtors to God for whatever we possess, since everything is his gift; but God has wished to make himself a debtor to you, taking from you his body and becoming man. So also St. Augustine says: Mary, having merited to give flesh to the Divine Word, and by that to furnish the price of the divine redemption, that we might be delivered from eternal death, is therefore, says the same doctor, more powerful than any other to help us and obtain for us eternal salvation. Hence St. Theophilus, Bishop of Alexandria, who lived in the time of St. Jerome, wrote: The Son is pleased to be entreated by his Mother, because he wishes to grant for her sake all that he does grant, and thus to recompense the favor he received from her when she gave him flesh. Hence St. John Damascene addresses the Virgin in these words: You, then, O Mary, being the Mother of God, can save all men by your prayers, which are enforced by a mother’s authority.
Let us conclude with the words of St. Bonaventure, who, considering the great benefit the Lord has conferred on us in giving us Mary for our advocate, thus addresses her: O truly immense and admirable goodness of God, who has granted you, O our Lady, to us miserable, guilty creatures for our advocate, that you might, by your powerful intercession, obtain for us whatever good you will. Oh, the great mercy of God, continues the saint, who, that we might not flee to hide ourselves from the sentence to be pronounced upon us, has destined his own Mother and the treasurer of graces for our advocate.
Example
Father Razzi, of the Camaldolese order, relates that a certain youth, having lost his father, was sent by his mother to the court of a prince. The mother, who had a great devotion to Mary, when she parted with him made him promise to recite every day a Hail Mary and to add these words: “Blessed Virgin, help me in the hour of my death.” The youth arrived at court, but soon began to lead so dissolute a life that his master was obliged to send him away. In despair, and without means of support, he went into the country and became a highway robber; but even then he did not fail to commend himself to our Lady, as his mother had directed him.
At length he fell into the hands of justice and was condemned to death. While he was in prison the evening before his execution, thinking of his disgrace, the grief of his mother, and the death that awaited him, he fell to weeping bitterly. The devil, seeing him so oppressed by his sorrow, appeared to him in the form of a handsome young man and told him that he would free him from death and prison if he would follow his directions. The condemned man promised to do all that he required. Then the pretended youth revealed that he was the devil and had come to his assistance. First, he ordered him to renounce Jesus Christ and the holy sacraments. The youth consented. He then demanded that he renounce the Virgin Mary and her protection. “This,” exclaimed the young man, “I will never do.” And turning to Mary, he repeated the familiar prayer his mother had taught him: “Blessed Virgin, help me in the hour of my death.” At these words the devil vanished.
The youth remained in great distress for the wickedness he had committed in denying Jesus Christ. He called upon the Blessed Virgin, and by her prayers she obtained for him a deep sorrow for all his sins, so that he made his confession with much weeping and contrition. On his way to the gallows, happening to pass before a statue of Mary, he saluted her with his usual prayer: “Blessed Virgin, help me in the hour of my death.” And the statue, in the sight of all, inclined its head and returned his greeting. Deeply moved, he begged to be allowed to kiss the feet of the image. The executioners refused, but afterward consented because of the clamor of the people. The youth stooped to kiss her feet, and Mary extended her arm from that statue, took him by the hand, and held him so firmly that no power could move him. At this wonder the crowd cried out, “Pardon, pardon!” and pardon was granted. Having returned to his own country, he led an exemplary life, and was ever after most devoted to Mary, who had delivered him from both temporal and eternal death.
Prayer
O great Mother of God, I will say to you with St. Bernard: Your Son hears you and will grant you whatsoever you ask. Speak then, speak, O Mary our advocate, on behalf of us miserable creatures. Remember that you have received your great power and dignity for our benefit. A God has chosen to become your debtor, taking from you his human nature, so that you might dispense to the wretched the riches of divine mercy. We are your servants, in a special manner consecrated to your service, and among these I hope to be one. We glory in living under your protection. If you do good to all, even to those who do not know you and do not honor you, and who even insult and blaspheme you, how much may we hope from your kindness, who seek out the wretched that you may relieve them—we who honor, love, and trust in you! We are great sinners, but God has granted you mercy and power greater than all our sins. You can and will save us; and we desire this all the more earnestly because we are unworthy of it, that we may glorify you the more in heaven, when we shall have been received there by your intercession. O Mother of mercy, we present to you our souls, once pure and washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, but since defiled with sin. To you we present them; will you purify them? Obtain for us sincere amendment, obtain for us the love of God, perseverance, and paradise. We ask great things of you, but can you not obtain them all for us? Are they greater than the love God bears you? You have only to open your lips in prayer to your Son, and he will grant you all things. Pray, then, pray, O Mary, for us; and surely you will be heard graciously, and we shall be saved. Amen.
Mary, a Merciful Advocate Who Does Not Refuse the Most Wretched Sinners
There are so many reasons why we should love this our loving Queen, that if all the earth should praise Mary, and all sermons should treat of her alone, and all men should give their lives for Mary, it would still be little compared to the homage and gratitude we owe her for the very tender love she bears to all men, even to the most wretched sinners who preserve toward her any feeling of devotion. Raymond Jordan declares that Mary cannot but love those who love her. Indeed, she does not disdain even to serve those who serve her, using, if they are sinners, all the power of her intercession to obtain pardon for them from her blessed Son. And so great, he goes on to say, is her kindness and compassion, that no one, however degraded he may be, should fear to cast himself at her feet, since she rejects no one who has recourse to her. Mary, as our most loving advocate, offers to God the prayers of her servants, especially those which are offered to her; for as the Son intercedes for us with the Father, so she intercedes for us with the Son, and never ceases to intercede with both for our salvation, and to obtain for us the favors that we ask. Rightly, then, does Blessed Denis the Carthusian call the holy Virgin the special refuge of the lost, the hope of the wretched, and the advocate of all sinners who have recourse to her.
But if there is ever any sinner who does not indeed doubt the power, but has no trust in the mercy of Mary, fearing that she may not be willing to aid him on account of the greatness of his offenses, St. Bonaventure encourages him by saying: Great and special is the privilege which Mary has with her Son, of obtaining by her prayers whatever she desires. But what would this great power of Mary avail us, he adds, if she were indifferent to our welfare? No, let us not doubt, concludes the saint; let us rest assured, and always thank the Lord and his divine Mother for it; for as she is the most powerful of all the saints with God, so she is the most loving advocate, and the most desirous of our welfare. And who, O Mother of sinners, joyfully exclaims St. Germanus, who, after your Jesus, has so much care of us and of our welfare as you? Who defends us in the trials that afflict us, as you defend us? Who takes upon himself to protect sinners, combating as it were in their behalf, as you do? Therefore, he adds, your patronage, O Mary, is more powerful and loving than we are able to comprehend. And, as the Idiot says, while all the other saints can aid their own servants by their patronage more than others, the divine Mother, as she is the Queen of all, so she is the advocate of all, and cares for the salvation of all.
She cares for all, even for sinners, and glories especially in being called their advocate, as she herself declared to the venerable Sister Mary Villani, saying: “Next to the title of Mother of God, I glory most in being named the advocate of sinners.” Blessed Amadeus says that our Queen is always before the divine Majesty, interceding for us with her powerful prayers. And since in heaven she knows perfectly our miseries and necessities, she cannot but have pity on us; so, with the affection of a mother, moved by compassion for us, she kindly and mercifully endeavors to relieve and save us. It is with good reason, then, that Richard of St. Laurence encourages everyone, however degraded he may be, to appeal confidently to this sweet advocate, in the certain belief that he will always find her ready to help him. It is also well said by Godfrey that Mary is ever ready to pray for all. And oh, with how much efficacy and love, St. Bernard exclaims, this good advocate of ours conducts the cause of our salvation!
St. Augustine, contemplating the affection and earnestness with which Mary is continually occupied in interceding with the divine Majesty for us—that the Lord may pardon our sins, assist us with his grace, free us from dangers, and relieve us from our miseries—thus addresses the holy Virgin: O Lady, it is true that all the saints desire our salvation and pray for us; but the charity and tenderness which you manifest for us in heaven, by obtaining with your prayers so many mercies from God, oblige us to confess that we have in heaven only one advocate, that is yourself, and that you alone are the only true lover watchful of our welfare. And who can comprehend the solicitude with which Mary is always waiting upon God in our behalf? St. Germanus says: She is never satisfied with defending us. The expression is beautiful. So great is the pity which Mary has for our miseries, and so great is the love she bears us, that she prays always, and prays again, and is never satisfied with praying for us, and defending us from evil with her prayers, and obtaining for us favors—she is never satisfied with defending us.
What poor sinners we should be if we did not have this advocate, so powerful and so merciful, and at the same time so prudent and so wise, that the Judge, her Son, cannot condemn the guilty if she defends them, as Richard of St. Laurence says. Well, then, does St. John the Geometrician salute her: Hail, authority that puts an end to strife. For all the causes defended by this most wise advocate are won. Hence Mary is called by St. Bonaventure the wise Abigail. This was the woman who, as we read in the first book of Kings, knew so well how to appease King David by her persuasive entreaties, when he was full of indignation against Nabal, that he himself blessed and thanked her for having, with her sweet words, prevented him from revenging himself upon Nabal with his own hands (1 Kings 25:33). Mary does precisely the same thing continually in heaven, in behalf of innumerable sinners: she knows so well how to appease the divine justice with her tender and wise entreaties, that God himself blesses her for it, and as it were thanks her, that she thus restrains him from abandoning and punishing them as they deserve. For this end, says St. Bernard, the eternal Father, desiring to show all possible compassion toward us, besides Jesus Christ, our principal advocate with himself, has given us Mary for our advocate with Jesus Christ.
There is no doubt, says St. Bernard, that Jesus is the only mediator of justice between men and God, who in virtue of his merits can, and according to his promises will, obtain for us pardon and divine grace; but because men recognize and fear in Jesus Christ the divine majesty, which dwells in him as God, it was necessary that another advocate should be appointed for us, to whom we could have recourse with less fear and more confidence; and this is Mary, than whom we can find no advocate more powerful with the divine majesty and more compassionate toward us. But he would greatly wrong the mercy of Mary, continues the saint, who should still fear to cast himself at the feet of this most sweet advocate, who is in nothing severe or terrible, but is in all things kind, lovely, and compassionate. Read and ponder as much as you will all the history found in the Gospel, and if you find any act of austerity in Mary, then fear to approach her. But you will never find any; go, then, joyfully to her, for she will save you by her intercession.
Exceedingly beautiful is the exclamation which William of Paris puts in the mouth of a sinner who has recourse to Mary: O Mother of my God, I come to you full of confidence, even in the wretched state to which I find myself reduced by my sins; if you reject me, I will plead with you, for in a certain sense you are bound to help me, since all the Church of the faithful calls you and proclaims you Mother of mercy. You, O Mary, are so dear to God that he always graciously listens to you; your great mercy has never failed; your most sweet kindness has never despised any sinner, however enormous his sins, who has had recourse to you. What! Could the whole Church falsely and in vain name you her advocate and the refuge of sinners? No, never be it said that my sins prevent you, O my Mother, from exercising the great office of mercy which you hold, by which you are at the same time the advocate and mediator of peace between God and man, and, next to your Son, the only hope and refuge of sinners. Whatever of grace and glory is yours, even the dignity of being Mother of God itself, if I may so speak, you owe to sinners, since for their sake the divine Word made you his Mother. Far from this divine Mother, who has brought forth to the world the fountain of mercy, be the thought that she could refuse her compassion to any sinner who commends himself to her. Since, then, O Mary, your office is that of peacemaker between God and man, may your great mercy, which far exceeds all my sins, move you to aid me.
Console yourselves, then, O you who are faint of heart; I will say with St. Thomas of Villanova: Take heart, O wretched sinners; this great Virgin, who is the Mother of your Judge and God, is the advocate of the human race. Powerful and able to obtain whatever she wishes from God; most wise, for she knows every method of appeasing him; universal, for she welcomes all, and refuses to defend none.
Example
Our advocate has shown how great is her kindness toward sinners by her mercy to Beatrice, a nun in the monastery of Fontebraldo, as related by Cesarius and by Father Rho. This unhappy religious, having conceived a passion for a certain young man, agreed to flee with him from the convent. And so one day she went before a statue of the Blessed Virgin, laid down there the keys of the monastery, for she was the portress, and boldly departed. Having arrived in another country, she led the miserable life of a prostitute for fifteen years.
It happened one day that she met the agent of the monastery in the city where she was living. Thinking he would not recognize her, she asked him whether he knew Sister Beatrice. “I knew her well,” he said. “She is a holy nun, and at present is mistress of novices.” At this news she was confounded and amazed, not knowing how to understand it. In order to learn the truth, she put on a different dress and went to the monastery. She asked for Sister Beatrice, and behold, the most holy Virgin appeared before her in the form of that same image to which, at her parting, she had committed her keys and her dress. The divine Mother spoke to her thus: “Beatrice, know that, in order to prevent your disgrace, I assumed your form and have filled your office for the fifteen years that you have lived far from the monastery and from God. My child, return, and do penance, for my Son is still waiting for you; and strive by a holy life to preserve the good name I have gained for you.” She spoke thus, and disappeared.
Beatrice re-entered the monastery, took up again the habit of a religious, and, grateful for the mercy of Mary, led the life of a saint. At her death she made known what had happened, to the glory of this great Queen.
Prayer
O great Mother of my Lord, I now see that the ingratitude I have shown for so many years to God and to you would justly deserve that you should abandon all care of me, for the ungrateful are no longer worthy of favors. But, O Lady, I have so high an opinion of your goodness; I believe it to be far greater than my ingratitude. Continue, then, O refuge of sinners, to help a wretched sinner who confides in you. O Mother of mercy, stretch out your hand to raise a poor fallen creature who implores your mercy. O Mary, defend me, or tell me to whom I shall have recourse who can protect me better than you. Can I find an advocate with God more merciful and more powerful than you, who are his Mother? You, having been created to be the Mother of the Savior, are destined to save sinners, and have been given to me for my salvation. O Mary, save him who has recourse to you. I do not deserve your love, but the desire you have to save the lost gives me hope that you love me; and if you love me, how can I be lost? O my beloved Mother, if, as I hope, I am saved by you, I will no longer be ungrateful. I will make amends by perpetual praises and by all the affection of my soul for my past ingratitude, and will make some return for the love you bear me. In heaven, where you reign and will reign forever, I will always joyfully sing your mercies, and forever I will kiss those loving hands that have freed me from hell as often as I have deserved it for my sins. O Mary, my deliverer, my hope, my Queen, my advocate, my Mother, I love you, I wish you well, and will always love you. Amen, amen; thus I hope, so may it be.
Mary the Peacemaker Between Sinners and God
The grace of God is a treasure, very great and most earnestly to be desired by every soul. It is called by the Holy Spirit an infinite treasure, since by means of divine grace we are raised to the honor of being made the friends of God: “She is an infinite treasure to men, which they that use become the friends of God” (Wisd. 7:14). And so it is that Jesus, our Redeemer and our God, did not hesitate to call those who are in grace his friends: “You are my friends” (John 15:14). Oh, accursed sin, that loosens the ties of this blessed friendship! “Your iniquities have divided between you and your God” (Isa. 59:2); for they make the soul hateful to God, and from a friend it becomes an enemy of the Lord: “To God the wicked and his wickedness are hateful alike” (Wisd. 14:9). What, then, must a sinner do who finds himself so unhappy as to have become an enemy of God? He must find a mediator who will obtain pardon for him and enable him to recover the lost friendship of God. Take courage, says St. Bernard, O sinner, who have lost God. Your Lord himself has given you a mediator, even his Son Jesus Christ, who can obtain for you whatever you desire.
But, O God, the saint here exclaims, why do men esteem this most merciful Savior, who has given his life for our salvation, to be severe? Why do they look upon him as terrible who is all loveliness? Distrustful sinners, say, why do you fear? If you fear because you have offended God, remember that Jesus with his own lacerated hands has nailed your sins to the cross, and having satisfied the divine justice for them by his death, he has removed them from your soul. But if ever, adds the saint, you fear to have recourse to Jesus Christ because his divine majesty alarms you—since when he became man he did not cease to be God—and if you wish for another advocate with this mediator, then invoke Mary, for she will intercede for you with the Son, who will surely listen graciously to her; and the Son will intercede with the Father, who can refuse nothing to this Son. And so, concludes St. Bernard, this divine Mother, O my children, is the ladder of sinners, by which they ascend anew to the height of divine grace. This is my greatest confidence; this is the whole ground of my hope.
Let us hear what the Holy Spirit makes the Blessed Virgin say in the sacred Canticles: I am, says Mary, the defense of those who have recourse to me, and my mercy is to them a tower of refuge; for this I have been appointed by my Lord as a peacemaker between sinners and him. Cardinal Hugo, on the same text, says that Mary is the great peacemaker who obtains from God, and gives, peace to enemies, salvation to the lost, pardon to sinners, and mercy to the despairing. For this reason she was called by her divine spouse “beautiful as the curtains of Solomon” (Cant. 1:4). In the tents of David there was nothing treated of but war; but in the tents of Solomon peace alone was spoken of. By this the Holy Spirit gives us to understand that the Mother of mercy does not treat of war and of vengeance against sinners, but only of peace and the pardon of their offenses.
Again, Mary was prefigured by Noe’s dove, which returned to the ark bearing in her beak the olive branch, as a sign of the peace that God granted to men. And so St. Bonaventure says: You are that most faithful dove which, mediating with God, has obtained for the world, which was lost, peace and salvation. Mary, then, was the heavenly dove who brought to the lost world the olive branch, a sign of mercy; for she gave us Jesus Christ, who is the fountain of mercy, and thus obtained, by the price of his merits, all the graces that God gives us. And as through Mary the world received celestial peace, as St. Epiphanius says, so by means of Mary sinners are constantly becoming reconciled to God. In the same way, Blessed Albertus Magnus says in her name: I am that dove of Noe, who brought to the Church universal peace.
Moreover, the rainbow seen by St. John, which surrounded the throne of God, was also an exact type of Mary: “And there was a rainbow round about the throne” (Apoc. 4:3). According to the explanation of Cardinal Vitalis, Mary is always before the divine tribunal to mitigate the sentence and punishment due to the sinner. And St. Bernardine of Siena says that it was of this rainbow that the Lord spoke when he said to Noe that he would place in the clouds the bow of peace, so that when he should see it he might remember the eternal covenant that he had established with men. And Mary, says St. Bernardine, is that very bow of eternal peace. For as God, at the sight of the bow, remembers the peace promised to the earth, so at the prayers of Mary he pardons sinners the offenses committed against him, and establishes peace with them.
For the same reason Mary is also compared to the moon: “Fair as the moon” (Cant. 6:9). For, St. Bonaventure says, as the moon is in the midst between heaven and earth, so she continually interposes between God and sinners, that she may appease the Lord toward them, and enlighten them on their return to God.
And this was the most important office given to Mary when she was placed upon the earth: to lift the souls fallen from divine grace, and to reconcile them to God. “Feed thy kids” (Cant. 1:7): this was said to her by the Lord when he created her. It is well known that sinners are represented by goats; and as the elect, represented by sheep, will be placed on the right hand in the valley of judgment, the goats will be placed on the left. Now these goats, says William of Paris, are committed to you, O great Mother, that you may change them into sheep, and that those who, by their sins, have merited to be banished to the left, may by your intercession be placed on the right. Hence the Lord revealed to St. Catherine of Siena that he had created this his beloved child as a sweet bait that would draw men, and especially sinners, to God. And here we should note the beautiful reflection of William the Englishman, on the passage cited above, who says that God recommends to Mary her own goats, “thy kids”; because the Virgin does not save all sinners, but only those who serve and honor her. Those, on the contrary, who live in sin, and do not honor her with any special devotion, nor commend themselves to her in order to escape from their sins, are not the goats of Mary, but in the judgment will be placed miserably on the left among the damned.
A certain nobleman who was despairing of his eternal salvation on account of his sins was encouraged by a religious to have recourse to the most holy Virgin, by visiting her sacred image which was in a certain church. The nobleman went to the church, and on seeing the figure of Mary he felt himself, as it were, invited by her to cast himself at her feet and trust. He hastened to do so, kissed her feet, and Mary, from that statue, extended her hand for him to kiss; and on it he saw these words written: “I will deliver thee from them that afflict thee.” As if she had said to him: My son, do not despair, for I will deliver you from your sins, and from the fears that oppress you. It is related that on reading these sweet words, that sinner felt such sorrow for his sins, and conceived such a love for God and for his sweet Mother, that he died there at the feet of Mary. Oh, how many obstinate sinners does this magnet of hearts draw daily to God, as she herself said to St. Bridget: “As the magnet attracts iron to itself, so I draw to myself the most obdurate hearts, that I may reconcile them to God”! And this prodigy is not rarely, but daily experienced. I could myself testify to many cases that have occurred in our missions alone, where sinners who had remained harder than iron during all the other sermons, while hearing that on the mercy of Mary, were touched with compunction and turned to God. St. Gregory relates that the unicorn is so ferocious a wild beast that no hunter can succeed in taking it; but at the voice of a maiden who calls upon him to surrender, he draws near, and without resistance allows himself to be bound by her. Oh, how many sinners, more fierce than wild beasts, who flee from God, at the sound of the voice of this great Virgin Mary advance and allow themselves to be gently bound by her to God!
For this end, says St. John Chrysostom, the Virgin Mary was made Mother of God: that those sinners who, by reason of their wicked life, could not be saved according to the divine justice, might obtain salvation through her sweet compassion and powerful intercession. St. Anselm confirms this when he says that Mary has been exalted to be Mother of God for sinners rather than for the just, since Jesus Christ announced that he came not to call the just, but sinners. And so the holy Church sings: “Sinners you do not abhor, since but for them you never would have been worthy of such a Son.” William of Paris also says: O Mary, you are obliged to help sinners; for all the gifts, graces, and honors that you possess, which are comprehended in the dignity you have received of being the Mother of God—for all these, if I may so speak, you are indebted to sinners, since for their sakes you were made worthy to have a God for your Son. If, then, concludes St. Anselm, Mary, for the sake of sinners, has been made Mother of God, how can I, however great may be my sins, despair of pardon?
The holy Church teaches us, in the collect of the Mass for the Vigil of the Assumption, that the divine Mother has been removed from this earth that she might intercede for us with God, in sure confidence of being graciously heard. Hence Mary is named by St. Justin “Sequestra,” that is, Arbitress. Sequester signifies the same as arbiter, one to whom two contending parties refer all their questions; so that the saint means to say that, as Jesus is mediator with the eternal Father, so Mary is our mediatrix with Jesus, to whom the Son refers all the charges which, as judge, he has against us.
Mary is called by St. Andrew of Crete the confidence and surety of our reconciliation with God. And by this the saint intends to say that God seeks a reconciliation with sinners by pardoning them, and that they may not despair of pardon, he has given them Mary as a pledge of it; hence he salutes her: Hail, O peace of God with men. And so St. Bonaventure says, encouraging every sinner: If you fear, on account of your sins, that an angry God may wish to avenge himself upon you, what are you to do? Go to the hope of sinners, namely, Mary; and if you fear that she will refuse to take your part, know that she cannot refuse to defend your cause, for God himself has assigned her the office of relieving the wretched. And what does the Abbot Adam say? Should a sinner fear being lost, to whom the Mother of his judge offers herself as his Mother and advocate? And then the same writer adds: O Mary, who are Mother of mercy, could you refuse to pray to your Son, who is judge, for another son, who is the criminal? Can you refuse to intercede in behalf of a redeemed soul with the Redeemer, who, for no other end than to save sinners, died on the cross? No, you will not refuse, but earnestly will employ yourself in praying for all those who invoke you, well knowing that the same Lord who has constituted your Son mediator of peace between God and man has at the same time made you mediatrix between the Judge and the criminal. Here St. Bernard takes up the subject and says: Give thanks, then, to him who has provided you with such a mediatrix. Whoever you are, O sinner, plunged in the mire of guilt, grown old in sin, do not despair; thank your Lord, who in order to show mercy to you has not only given you his Son for an advocate, but, to increase your confidence and courage, has provided you with such a mediatrix, who by her prayers obtains whatever she wishes. Have recourse to Mary, and you will be saved.
Example
Rupensis and Boniface relate that in Florence there lived a young girl named Benedetta, which means “the blessed,” though from the scandalous and wicked life she led she might better have been called Maladetta, “the cursed.” Happily for her, St. Dominic came to preach in that city, and out of mere curiosity she went one day to hear him. But during the sermon the Lord touched her heart, so that, weeping bitterly, she went to make her confession to the saint. St. Dominic heard her confession, gave her absolution, and directed her to say the rosary. But the unhappy girl, driven by the force of her evil habits, returned to her wicked life. The saint heard of it, went to her, and persuaded her to confess once more.
Then God, in order to confirm her in a good life, one day showed her hell, and among the souls there some who had already been condemned on her account. Opening a book, he made her read in it the frightful record of her sins. The penitent shuddered at the sight, and, full of confidence, had recourse to Mary, asked her help, and learned that this divine Mother had already obtained from God time enough for her to mourn for her many sins. The vision disappeared, and Benedetta devoted herself to a good life. But because that dark catalogue seemed always open before her eyes, she prayed one day to her consoler in these words: “O Mother, it is true that for my sins I should now be deep in hell; but since you, by your intercession, have freed me from it and obtained time for my repentance, most merciful Lady, I ask of you one more favor. I will never cease to weep for my sins; but obtain for me that they may be blotted out of that book.”
After this prayer, Mary appeared to her and told her that, to obtain what she asked, she must keep an everlasting remembrance of her sins and of the mercy of God toward her; still more, that she must meditate on the Passion of her Son, which he suffered for love of her; and also that she must bear in mind that many had been damned who had committed fewer sins than she. Mary also revealed to her that a child of only eight years of age had that very day been condemned to hell for a single mortal sin. Benedetta faithfully obeyed the most holy Virgin, and one day beheld Jesus Christ, who showed her that book and said to her: “Behold, your sins are blotted out; the book is white. Inscribe on it now acts of love and of virtue.” Benedetta did so, led a holy life, and died a holy death.
Prayer
If, then, my most sweet Lady, your office is, as William of Paris says, to interpose as a mediatrix between the sinner and God, I will say to you with St. Thomas of Villanova: Ah, then, O our advocate, fulfil your office. Fulfil it now also on my behalf. Do not tell me that my cause is too difficult to be won; for I know, and all assure me, that no cause, however desperate, was ever lost when defended by you. And shall mine be lost? No, I do not fear this. I have only to fear, when I behold the multitude of my sins, that you will not undertake my defense; but when I consider your boundless compassion and the great desire that fills your most loving heart to help the vilest sinners, I no longer fear even this. For who was ever lost that had recourse to you? I invoke, then, your aid, O my great advocate, my refuge, my hope, and my Mother Mary. Into your hands I commit the cause of my eternal salvation. To you I consign my soul; it was lost, but you must save it. I always thank the Lord that he gives me this great confidence in you, which, notwithstanding my unworthiness, I believe will secure my salvation. One fear alone remains to afflict me, my beloved Queen: that I may one day, through my own neglect, lose this confidence in you. Therefore I pray you, O Mary, by all your love for your Jesus, to preserve and increase more and more in me this most sweet confidence in your intercession, by which I surely hope to recover the divine friendship, which I have hitherto so foolishly despised and lost; and having once recovered it, I hope by your means to preserve it; and preserving it, I hope at last through you to go one day and thank you for it in paradise, and there to sing the mercies of God and yours through all eternity. Amen. Thus I hope; so may it be, and so it shall be!
Points for Reflection
1. “And her omnipotence consists in this: that the Son denies nothing the Mother asks.”
2. “Mary cannot but love those who love her.”
3. “Have recourse to Mary, and you will be saved.”