to Salvation and Why Catholics Practice Devotion to Her
From the Apostolic Digest
CHAPTER ONE
DEVOTION TO OUR LADY
IS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION
In me is all hope of life and virtue, in me is all grace of the way and the truth.
Ecclesiasticus 24:25
O chosen Queen of Heaven! You alone are the refuge of guilty mortals to whom so many a tearful eye, so many a wounded and miserable heart is raised . . .
You, O elect Queen, are the gate of all grace, the door of compassion that has never yet been shut!
Bl. Henry Suso
| Mary is the key to the gates of Heaven. St. Ephrem Open to us, O Mary, the gate of Paradise, since you have its keys! St. Ambrose God has entrusted the keys and treasures of Heaven to Mary. St. Thomas Aquinas No one can enter into Heaven except through Mary, as entering through a gate. St. Bonaventure This is the House of God and the Gate of Heaven. Genesis 28:17 Mary is called "The Gate of Heaven" because no one can enter Heaven but through her means. St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori Holy Scripture was written for Mary, about Mary, and on account of Mary. St. Bernard Who is this Gate if not Mary? Mary is the Gate through which Christ entered this world! St. Ambrose We had closed Paradise; you, O Mary, opened the entryway to the tree of life again . . . You are the bridge to life, the staircase to Heaven! St. John Damascene She is the stairway to Heaven, and the gate of Paradise! St. Lawrence Justinian All the Saints have a great devotion to Our Lady: no grace comes from Heaven without passing through her hands. We cannot go into a house without speaking to the doorkeeper. Well, the Holy Virgin is the doorkeeper of Heaven. St. John Mary Vianney All gifts, virtues, and graces of the Holy Ghost are administered by the hands of Mary to whomsoever she desires, when she desires, and in the manner she desires, and to whatever degree she desires. St. Bernardine of Siena She opens the abyss of God's mercy to whomsoever she wills, when she wills, and as she wills, so that there is no sinner however great who is lost if Mary protects him . . . All men: past, present, and to come, should look upon Mary as the means and negotiator of the salvation of all ages. St. Bernard Through you, Most Holy Lady, all glory, honor, and holiness vouchsafed to the human race from Adam to the last ages has been granted, is being granted, will be granted to apostles, prophets, Martyrs, and all the just and humble of heart. St. Ephrem Mary is the dispensatrix of all the graces God bestows on man. St. Bernardine of Siena No man is delivered or preserved from the world-wide snares of Satan except through Mary; and God grants His graces to no one except through her alone. St. Germanus of Constantinople God has decided that we should receive everything from the Father, from the Son, and from the Holy Spirit, and from the Immaculata. This is the only path that each and every grace can follow. St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe Every grace granted to man in this life has three successive steps: from God it comes to Christ, from Christ to the Virgin, and from the Virgin it descends to us. St. Bernardine of Siena All graces that have ever been bestowed on men, all of them came through Mary. St. Antoninus Every grace and blessing possessed by the Church, all the treasures of light, holiness, and glory that abide in her, on earth as well as in Heaven, all are due to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary . . . Let us acknowledge, then, that her heart is the origin of everything noble, rich, and precious in all the holy souls who form the universal Church in Heaven and on earth. It is the source of salvation. St. John Eudes The Lord has placed in Mary the plenitude of all good, so that if any hope, or grace, or salvation is in us, we know that we derive it all from Mary. St. Bernard Every good, every help, every grace which men have received and will receive from God until the End of Time, came, and will come, to them by the intercession and through the hands of Mary . . . the whole Trinity gave thee a name, O Mary, which after that of thy most holy Son is above every name, so that at thy name every knee should genuflect in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue should confess the grace, the glory, and the power of thy most holy name. Bl. Raymond Jordano The admirable name of Mary came forth from the treasury of the Divinity, and through it Redemption was effected. St. Peter Damian There is no reconciliation, O Mary, except that which thou didst conceive in thy virginity, no justification save that which thou didst nurture inviolately in thy womb, no salvation but that which thou didst immaculately bear. Therefore, O Lady, thou art the mother of justification and of the justified, thou art the begetter of reconciliation and of the reconciled, the Mother of salvation and of the saved. O blessed assurance, O refuge without fear! The Mother of God is our mother, too! The mother of Him in Whom alone we hope, Whom alone we fear, is our mother. We have for our mother the mother of Him Who alone can save us, Who alone will be our judge! St. Anselm For this reason, all creatures are obligated to render her respect and homage as to their Queen and Sovereign to whom they belong and upon whom they depend, and will depend, for all eternity. St. John Eudes St. Francis de Sales St.
Ephrem Greek Menaea, Octave of Christmas Eve believed the serpent; Mary believed
Gabriel.
Thus, what had been laid waste in ruin by this female sex was by the same sex re-established in salvation. Tertullian St. Irenaeus of Lyons God wills that Mary exact from His goodness
peace for
the earth,
glory for Heaven, life for the dead, and salvation for all who
are lost. St. Peter Chyrsologus St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori Just as we are indebted to Jesus Christ for His
death, so likewise are we indebted to Mary for
the
salvation of the world. St. Albert the Great St.
Augustine Mary has the greatest and clearest claims to
our
homage and praise: she is the salvation of the world . . . Our
dependence upon the august Mary is complete and universal . . .
There is neither on earth nor in Heaven any justified soul,
anyone of the Elect, who does not owe Mary his justice and his
glory. Ven. William Joseph Chaminade All those who, to the end of time, shall
receive the
blessing of
our heavenly Father . . . shall receive their graces only as a
result of their perfect obedience to Mary. St. Louis Marie de Montfort Through thee, O Holy Virgin, Heaven was
populated,
Hell emptied,
and the ruins of the heavenly Jerusalem rebuilt! St. Bernard Answer, then, O Sacred Virgin! Why do you delay
the
salvation
of the world, which depends upon your consent? St. Augustine O salvation of all who call upon thee, save me! St. Bonaventure Pure and Immaculate Virgin, save me and deliver
me
from eternal
damnation. St. John Damascene May we, who are unable to please Thee, O Lord,
by our
own acts,
be saved by the intercession of the Mother of Thy Son. Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate Virgin, you have to save me! St. Philip Neri O Mother
of the salvation of everyone! St. Agnes Many have proved
invincibly, from the sentiments of the Fathers-----among
others: St. Augustine, St. Ephrem, St. Cyril of
Jerusalem, St. Germanus of Constantinople, St. John Damascene,
St. Anselm, St. Bernard, St. Bernardine, St. Thomas, and St.
Bonaventure-----that devotion to Our Most Blessed Virgin is
necessary for salvation, and that it is an infallible mark of
reprobation to have no esteem or love for the Holy Virgin while,
on the other hand, it is an infallible mark of predestination to
be entirely and truly devoted to her. The figures and words of the Old
and New Testaments
prove this. The sentiments and examples of the Saints confirm it.
Reason and experience teach and demonstrate it. Even the Devil
and his crew, constrained by the force of truth, have often been
obliged to avow it in spite of themselves. St. Louis Marie de Montfort O Lady, since thou art the dispenser of all
graces,
and since the
grace of salvation can come only through thy hands, our salvation
depends on thee. St. Bernardine of Siena O Most Holy Vifgin, receive us under thy
protection
if thou
wouldst see us saved, for we have no hope of salvation but
through thy means. O my sweet Mother Mary, I consign my soul to
you;
have pity on me
and save me.
If our life were not under the protection of
Mary, we
might
tremble for our perseverance and salvation . . . In her hands Jesus
has placed His almighty power in the order of salvation. He has
confided to her all the means of salvation. All the graces of
salvation, both natural and spiritual, will be given to us by
Mary. She is rich with the riches of God Himself. St. Peter Julian Eymard O Mary, we poor sinners know no other refuge
but
thee, for thou
art our only hope, and on thee do we rely for our salvation. St. Thomas of Villanova Unless the prayers of Mary interposed, there could be no hope of mercy.St. Bridget of Sweden Mary is the whole hope of our salvation. St. Thomas Aquinas The foundation of all our confidence is found
in the
Blessed
Virgin Mary. God has committed to her the treasury of all good
things, in order that everyone may know that through her are
obtained every hope, every grace, and all salvation. For this is
His will: that we obtain everything through Mary. Ven. Pope Pius IX O, my Lady, next to thy Son Jesus Christ, thou
hast
always been
the chief instrument of our salvation. St. Dominic We are debtors to the Blessed Virgin, after
Christ, for the redemption of the human race. St. Peter Damian Sinners receive pardon by the intercession of
Mary
alone. St. John Chrysostom Only at the intercession of Mary do sinners
obtain
forgiveness
. . . They receive pardon only by the intercession of Mary. St.
Peter Chrysologus
St. Agnes O Mary, come to my aid or I am lost! St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Our salvation rests in thy hands, O Mary! St. Bernardine of Siena You, O Lady, were filled with grace, so that
you
might be the way
of our salvation and the means of ascent into the heavenly
kingdom. St. Athanasius A gentle maiden, having lodged a God in her
womb,
asks as her
price the salvation of those who are lost, and life for those who
are dead. St. Peter Chrysologus All the world rejoices because it was redeemed
through Mary. Alcuin of York Our Lady was the powerful means of our Redemption, and to her we owe our Redemption on many counts. Ven. Mary of Agreda A mediator, then, was needed with the Mediator
Himself, nor could
a more fitting one be found than Mary. St. Bernard
Pope Leo XIII We need a mediator with our Mediator. Council of Rheims She is
the mediator between us and Christ, just as Christ is the mediator between us and God. St. Bonaventure You must intercede, O Lady, because God, Who placed His Son as Mediator between man and Heaven, has placed you as mediator between His Son and guilty man! St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori As the moon is placed between the sun and
earth, so
is Mary
stationed between God and us, to pour out His graces continually upon
us. St. Bernard Mary is our necessary and universal Mediatrix .
. .
If no one knows
the Father but the Son and those to whom the Son has revealed
Him, likewise no one knows the Son but His Mother and the Church
to whom she has revealed Him ... How is it possible to find Jesus
without Mary, since Jesus Himself did not come to us except with
the consent of Mary? No one can go to the Son but by Mary, just
as no one can go to the Father but by the Son. Only through Mary
do we reach Jesus since Jesus came to us only through Mary; and
because of this great truth, we should desire nothing but to make
known to all nations this path, which is so sure to reach Heaven. Ven. William Joseph Chaminade Mankind was unworthy to receive the Word directly from God, so Mary was our Mediatrix in the Incarnation, and she continues to exercise that function. No one comes to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and embraces His holy law except through her; no one obtains the saving gift of faith except by her prayers. Her mission, to which she is ever faithful, is to give us Jesus. He must be received from her hands, and in vain do we seek Him elsewhere. St. Peter Julian Eymard
Every grace which is communicated to this world has a threefold
origin: it flows from God to Christ, from Christ to the Virgin,
and from the Virgin to us . . . Nothing comes to us except through
the mediation of Mary, for such is the will of God. Thus, just as
no man goes to the Father but by the Son, so likewise no one goes
to Christ except through His Mother. Whosoever will not have
recourse to her is trying to fly without wings . . . O Virgin Most
Holy, no one abounds in the knowledge of God except through thee;
no one, O Mother of God, attains salvation except through thee! Pope
Leo XIII There is no one, O most holy Mary, who can know
God except through thee; no one who can be saved or redeemed but
through thee, O Mother of God! St. Germanus of Constantinople To reach the Eternal Father, we must go to
Jesus, our
Mediator of
Redemption . . . To go to Jesus, we must go to Mary: she is our
Mediatrix of Intercession. St. Louis Marie de Montfort As you cannot come to God except by means of
Jesus
Christ, you
likewise cannot come to Christ except by means of His Mother
. . . As we have access to the Father only by means of the Son,
so
do we have access to the Son only by means of the Mother. St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori Through thee do we have access to thy Son, O Blessed Discoverer of Grace, O Mother of Life, O Mother of Salvation! St. Bernard By the will of God nothing is conferred upon us except by means of Mary; and just as no one is able to approach the Most High Father except through His Son, so too no one approaches Christ but through Mary His Mother. St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe We cannot approach Jesus but through Mary; we
can see
Jesus and
speak to Him only by means of her. St. Louis Marie de Montfort If anyone wishes to contact a President, for
instance, or some
other high worldly dignitary, he does not go about it by himself;
he takes an intermediary with him. The same thing is true when we
approach God: let is always be with Mary and through Mary. St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe For, since it is the will of Divine Providence
that
we should
have the God-Man through Mary, there is no other way for us to
receive Christ except from her hands. Pope St. Pius X Our sanctity depends on the degree of our
nearness to
Mary. She
is the nearest to God, and if we are the nearest to her then we
therefore will be nearest, through her, to God Himself. St.
Maximilian Mary Kolbe Behold, there came wise men from the East . . .
and
entering into the house, they found the Child with Mary His
Mother. No one ever finds Christ but with and through
Mary.
Whoever seeks
Christ apart from Mary seeks Him in vain. St. Bonaventure He who wishes to find Jesus will do so only by
having
recourse to
Mary. St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori What, therefore, God hath joined together, let
no man
put asunder
. . . Take the Child and His Mother. St. Matthew 19:4; 2:20 The Incarnation is so indissoluble that what it
has
once joined
together has never been, nor ever can be, separated. St. Denis the Areopagite He who desires to find Jesus will not find Him
otherwise than
through Mary. St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori The Child is not found without Mary, His Mother
. . .
If, then, it
is impossible to separate what God has united, it is also certain
that you cannot find Jesus except with Mary and through Mary. Pope St. Pius X Where Mary is, there is the Son! St. Paul of the Cross You must never separate what God has so
perfectly
united. So
closely bound up with each other are Jesus and Mary that whoever
beholds Jesus sees Mary; whoever loves Jesus loves Mary; whoever
has devotion to Jesus has devotion to Mary . . . Thus, you may never
separate the Son from the Mother, nor the Mother from the Son;
and you may behold nothing but Jesus in Mary and Mary in Jesus
. . . Whoever sees Jesus sees Mary, and he who sees Mary beholds
Jesus! I cannot look upon Thee, O my Lord Jesus, without
beholding her who sits at Thy right hand! St. John Eudes
St.
Robert Bellarmine Nothing is more inseparable in the pious
remembrance of Christians, nothing more inseparable in their
confidence, their invocation, their love, than Jesus and Mary. St. Ignatius of Loyola It would be easier to separate the light from
the sun
than Mary
from Jesus: so we might call Our Lord "Jesus of Mary,"
and Our Blessed Lady "Mary of Jesus." St. Louis Marie de Montfort The same Person Who is the only-begotten of the Father is also the only-begotten of Mary, and he who separates them is himself separated from the kingdom of God. St.
Ephrem St. Peter Julian Eymard
St. Joseph Cafasso Hail Mary, Mother of God, through whom every
creature
imprisoned
by the bonds of idolatrous error comes to the knowledge of truth!
Through whom every faithful soul is saved! St. Cyril of Alexandria Through thee, a Lady, Heaven is
opened, Hell emptied . . . and life granted to those who expected only
eternal death . . . St. Bernard What, then, is the conclusion we must draw from
the
teaching and
practice of the Church? It is this: our salvation must be wrought
through Mary. Ven. William Joseph Chaminade The way of salvation is open to no one except
through
Mary. St.
Alphonsus Maria Liguori Alas, O Lord! I am so wretched that without
this
dear Mother I would certainly be lost. Yes, Mary is necessary for
me . . . that she may save me from the eternal punishment of Thy
justice . . . Would that everyone might know that I should be
already damned were it not for Mary! St.
Louis Marie de Montfort
The Divine Mother is the only hope of those who are in despair; she is our safeguard from Hell. St. Ephrem Through the intercession of Mary many souls are
in
Paradise who
would not be there had she not interceded for them, for God has
entrusted her with the keys and treasures of the heavenly kingdom. St. Thomas Aquinas
Because God wishes to saved everyone, He has given us this
great protectress in His mercy. There is no sinner, however
abandoned by God, for whom if he invoke her aid she will not
obtain the grace to return to God and find mercy. St. Bridget of
Sweden To thee, O my Queen, nothing is impossible,
since
thou canst
succor and save even those who have despaired of salvation. St. Peter Damian St. Germanus of Constantinople The help of Mary is all-powerful in saving us
from sin and from Hell. St. Cosmas of Jerusalem Mary, by being the Mother of God, was the means of saving sinners; so sinners, by proclaiming her praises, will obtain salvation. St. Anselm The name of Mary is the name of salvation . . . Hence, let us always pray to this Divine Mother if we desire to ensure our salvation. St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation! Bl. Pope Pius IX The heart of Mary is the source of
universal
salvation: all
salvation springs from Mary's heart . . . The salvation of man
having taken place in the heart of Mary, all Christians must consider her, after God, as the source of their
life, and as the cause and center of their happiness . . . They
must always be turned towards her heart, gaze upon it
unceasingly, and make it the object of their aspirations and
desires. Outside the heart of Mary, there is only trouble, fear,
anxiety, death, and Hell. St. John Eudes O man, whoever you are, understand that in this
world
you are
tossed about on a stormy and tempestuous sea . . . Remember that if
you want to avoid being drowned . . . you must call on Mary . . . O
Lady! O Ark in which those who take refuge will never suffer the
shipwreck of eternal perdition! St. Bernard We pray thee, O Lady, Star of the Sea, shine
upon us
in our
distress on the sea of life, and lead us to safe harbor and to
the ineffable joys of eternity. St. Anthony of Padua Mary is called the Star of the Sea, because, as
sailors are
guided to their port by the polar star which is the star of the
sea, so also are Christians guided in their voyage to eternal
glory by her. St. Thomas Aquinas Mary is our salvation, our life, our hope, our
counsel, our
refuge, our help. Ven. Bernardine de Bustis Thou art the Lady of all men, and thou art the
universal
salvation of Christians. St. Ephrem Hail, O certain salvation of Christians! Hail, fortress of the faithful and salvation of the world!St. Ephrem O Agent of Paradise! St. Andrew Avellino O Ark of Glory! O
Chamber of Salvation! St. Vincent Ferrer Except for God Himself,
Mary is higher than everyone. St. Andrew of Crete Nothing, O Lady, is equal to thee; for whatever
exists must be
either above or below thee. God alone is above thee, and everything else is below thee! St. Anselm The salvation of everyone is left to the care
of this
Blessed
Virgin St. Peter Damian My Lady, he whom you desire to be saved will be
saved
. . . God will
not save us without the intercession of Mary. St. Bonaventure It is enough, O Lady, that you will it, and our
salvation is
secure. St. Anselm Hasten, Most Blessed Lady: do not delay the
salvation
of the
world, which depends upon thy consent! St. Bernard Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee! St. Luke 1:28 If God is on our side, who can ever be against
us? Romans 8:31 If Mary be for us, who shall be against us? St. Antoninus Happy is the Christian who has the Most Blessed
Virgin for him;
and miserable is that Christian who does not have the Blessed
Virgin on his side! St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori Mary is the center of the universe, the Ark of
God,
the cause of
creation, the business of the ages. Towards her turn the
inhabitants of Heaven and the dwellers in the place of expiation,
the men who have gone before us, and we who are now living, those
who are to follow us, our children's children, and their
descendants. Those in Heaven look to her to have their ranks
filled up; those in Purgatory look for their deliverance; the men
of the first ages look to her that they may be found faithful
prophets; those who come after, that they may obtain eternal
happiness. O Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, Sovereign of the
world, all generations call thee blessed, for thou hast brought
forth life and glory for all. In thee the Angels always find
their joy, the just find grace, sinners pardon; in thee, and by
thee, and from thee, the merciful hand of the Almighty has
reformed the first creation. St. Bernard All praise to you, holy Mother of God! . . .
Through
you the heavens exult, the Angels and Archangels
rejoice,
the demons flee, and man himself is once more admitted to Heaven.
Through you, souls bound by the chains of idolatry have been
brought to know the truth and led to Holy Baptism . . . By your help
nations have come to repentance. Through you, the prophets have
spoken and the Apostles have preached salvation to all nations.
Mary, Virgin and Mother, who can worthily proclaim the praises of
your power? St. Cyril of Alexandria Let
us
honor the Divine palace of the King, in
which it was His will to dwell: the Virgin and Incomparable
Mother of God. Let us sing praises to her through whom we are
deified. The most blessed choir of the prophets of old, Divinely
inspired by the Spirit, called thee, O Most Chaste One, the
Gate and Mountain Overshadowed in their sacred prophecies.
Enlighten, O Virgin, the eyes of my heart, and pour over me the
bright ray of compunction; deliver me from eternal darkness, O
thou Gate of Light and Refuge of all Christians who faithfully
praise thee. I praise thee, the creature alone worthy of all
praise; I glorify thee, O thou who hast been forever glorified by
God; and I bless thee, O Virgin, most happy in a Divine
blessedness, who art called Blessed by all generations. The
refulgent splendor of thy delivery of the Savior has shone forth
and shed a most joyful light over the whole earth, and has
destroyed the prince of darkness, O Most Chaste Mother of God,
thou joy of the Angels and protectress of all who honor thee with
unceasing praises! St. Joseph the
Hymnographer
|
There is no one in
the world who, if he asks for it,
does not
partake of the Divine mercy through the tenderness of Mary.
He who sees Jesus also sees the
Mother of Jesus.
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