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Praise of Mary
Also See:
Blessed Virgin Mary (Topic Page)
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"And
in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a
city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man
whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's
name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail,
full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among
women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought
with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the
angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with
God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth
a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and
shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall
give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign
in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be
no end." (Lk. 1:26-33)
"And
Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with
haste into a city of Juda. And she entered into the house of
Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass, that when
Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her
womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she cried
out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that
the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the
voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb
leaped for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, because
those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the
Lord." (Lk. 1:39-45)
"[H]uman
words are not able to describe her who became the Mother of
God" (St. Maximilian Kolbe)
"No angel, no saint, can equal her in the
multitude and accumulation of heavenly good things." (St.
Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church)
"Limitless
is the difference between God's servants and His Mother."
(St. John Damascene, Doctor of the Church)
"In
Mary God is more glorified, better known, more loved than in all
the rest of the universe." (Liturgical Year)
"Your
honor and dignity surpass the whole of creation; your greatness
places you above the angels." (St. Germanus)
"Take
away Mary, the star of the vast sea: what would remain but
obscurity over all, a night of death and icy darkness?" (St.
Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church)
"As
the sun is brighter than the moon, and the moon is brighter than
the stars,' so is Mary exalted above all creatures."
(Sequence)
"Hail, God's palace; hail, tabernacle of
the Most High; hail, house of God; hail, His holy vestments; hail,
handmaid of God!" (St. Francis of Assisi)
"[G]reater
was the glory of the second temple which sheltered the reality,
than of the first which contained but the figure."
(Liturgical Year)
"Mary
is blessed by Elisabeth with the same words as before by Gabriel,
to show that she was to be reverenced both by men and
angels." (St. Bede the Venerable, Doctor of the Church)
"For
no single individual can even be imagined who has ever contributed
or ever will contribute so much towards reconciling man with God
[as Mary]." (Pope Leo XIII)
"What
can be more sublime than your joy, O Virgin Mother? What more
noble than this grace, which you alone have received from
God?" (St. Sophronius)
"The
lips of man are not worthy to praise the Mother of the Lord of
angels and of men, for neither can men understand her, nor angels
know her sufficiently" [Chant of the Assumption (Liturgical
Year)]
"Mary!
Thou the unfailing hope of the wretched, the true Mother of
orphans, the consolation of the afflicted, the health of the sick,
thou art all to all." (Prose, c. 17th century, as quoted by
Dom Gueranger)
"[T]he
Blessed Virgin Mary... is the 'tota pulchra' ['all beautiful'] portrayed by countless artists, whom Dante
contemplates among the splendours of Paradise as 'beauty that was
joy in the eyes of all the other saints'." (Pope John Paul II, 1999)
"Let us bless her often, and sing her
praises: for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me
blessed (Luke I, 48)." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"'Mary is said to be 'fair as the
moon'.'
For as the moon enlightens and benefits the lowest creatures on
earth, so does Mary enlighten and succor the most unworthy
sinners." (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church)
"In
thee the angels ever 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
of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church)
"Great
indeed is Our trust in Mary. The resplendent glory of her merits,
far exceeding all the choirs of angels, elevates her to the very
steps of the throne of God. Her foot has crushed the head of
Satan." (Bl. Pope Pius IX, "Ubi Primum ", 1849)
"[Mary]
is gentle, exquisite in tenderness, and of a limitless love and
kindness. As such God gave her to us. Mother of his only begotten
Son, he taught her all a mother's feelings that breathe pardon and
love." (Pope Leo XIII)
"We
sing unto thee, we praise thee, we worship thee, O God-bearer; for
thou has brought forth the one Son and God of the undivided
Trinity, and hast opened to us on earth the heavens." (St.
Andrew of Crete) [Note: Of course, the term "worship"
as used herein is not to be confused with the worship paid to God
alone. Rather, it refers to the highest degree of veneration due a
creature.]
"You alone and your Mother are more
beautiful than any others; For there is no blemish in you, nor any
stains upon your Mother. Who of my children can compare in beauty
to these?" (St. Ephraim, Doctor of the Church, c. 370 A.D.)
"Because
by reason of her child she surpassed the whole world in beauty and
dignity: since she alone in the narrow abode of her womb received
Him Whom the world cannot contain." [Pseudo Chrys (as quoted by St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church)]
"When Mary has taken root in a soul she
produces in it wonders of grace which only she can produce; for
she alone is the fruitful virgin who never had and never will have
her equal in purity and fruitfulness." (St. Louis de Montfort)
"That
all of this may come to pass prosperously and happily, let Us
raise Our eyes and hands to the most holy Virgin Mary, who alone
crushes all heresies, and is Our greatest reliance and the whole
reason for Our hope." (Pope Gregory XVI, "Mirari Vos",
1832) [Note: Of course, salvation wouldn't be possible without
Christ - however, Christ made his coming to earth dependent upon
the fiat of Mary. In consideration of this, therefore, it may be
said that Mary is the "whole reason for our hope". Such
expressions, of course, are in no way to imply that our hope is
independent from Christ.]
"Virgin-Mother
and Virgin without peer, pillar of smoke of aromatical spices,
both heaven and earth are justly proud of thee. Thee did the
ancient seers prophecy; to thee sang Solomon his Song of Songs;
the angel's voice thy greatness did proclaim." (Sequence)
"O
that rich treasure of Mary's womb! It held the price which
purchased our redemption, setting us free from the yoke of our
debt. The Son of the eternal Father dwelt within her; the Holy
Ghost overshadowed her; what is such a Virgin's womb but a
new-made heaven?" (St. Peter Damian, Doctor of the Church)
"O
blessed is that womb which because of the overflowing purity of
the Virgin Mary has drawn to itself the gift of life! For in
others scarcely indeed shall a pure soul obtain the presence of
the Holy Spirit, but in her the flesh is made the receptacle of
the Spirit." (St. Gregory of Nyssa)
"For she was full of grace and blessed among
women. She alone merited to conceive the true God of true God,
whom as a virgin, she brought forth, to whom as a virgin she gave
milk, fondling him in her lap, and in all things she waited upon
him with loving care." (Amadeus of Lausanne, as quoted by
Pope Pius XII in "Munificentissimus Deus")
"Who is this virgin so worthy of reverence
as to be saluted by an angel: yet so humble as to be betrothed to
a carpenter? A beautiful combination is that of virginity with
humility: and that soul singularly pleases God in which humility
gives worth to virginity, and virginity throws new luster on
humility." (St. Bernard, Doctor of the Church)
"I greet you, Lady, Holy Queen, Holy Mary,
Mother of God, Virgin...chosen by the most holy Father of heaven;
consecrated to holiness thorough His most holy and beloved Son and
the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. In you was and is the whole
fullness of grace and everything that is good." (St. Francis
of Assisi)
"It
may be said, that 'know' here signifies simply, to understand; that
whereas before he had not understood how great her dignity, after
the birth he then knew that she had been made more honorable and
worthy than the whole world, who had carried in her womb Him whom
the whole world could not contain." [Pseudo Chrys (as quoted by St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church)]
"O
Tower of the true David; citadel withstanding the first shock of
Satan's attack, and breaking all his power; true Sion, founded on
the holy mountains, the highest summits of virtue; temple and
palace, feebly foreshadowed by those of Solomon; house built by
eternal Wisdom for herself: the faultless lines of thy fair
architecture were planned from all eternity." (Liturgical
Year)
"We had closed Paradise; you opened again
the entryway to the tree of life. We turn joys into sorrow; you
turned sorrow back into the greatest of joys for us. And how would
you, the Immaculate, taste of death? You are the bridge to life,
you are the staircase to heaven" (St. John Damascene, Doctor
of the Church, c.
8th century A.D.)
"Hail, from us, Mary, Mother of God,
majestic common-treasure of the whole world, the lamp
unquenchable, the crown of virginity, the staff or orthodoxy, the
indissoluble temple, the dwelling of the Illimitable, Mother and
Virgin, though whom He in the holy Gospels is called the Blessed
Who cometh in the name of the Lord." (St. Cyril of
Alexandria, Doctor of the Church, 5th century A.D.)
"Just as Mary surpassed in grace all others
on earth, so also in heaven is her glory unique. If eye has not
seen or ear heard or the human heart conceived what God has
prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9), who can express what
He has prepared for the woman who gave Him birth and who loved
Him, as everyone knows, more than anyone else?" (St. Bernard
of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church)
"[God]
showered her with heavenly gifts and graces from the treasury of
His divinity so far beyond what He gave to all the angels and
saints that she was ever free from the least stain of sin; she is
so beautiful and perfect, and possesses such fullness of innocence
and holiness, that under God a greater could not be dreamed, and
only God can comprehend the marvel." (Bl. Pope Pius IX)
"Hail!
Virgin ever Blest, that didst destroy the curse. Hail! Mother of
the Most High, and Spouse of the Lamb most meek. Thou didst
conquer the serpent...Thou art the Queen of heaven, and Reparatrix
of the earth, The loved Mother of men, and the terror of the
demons of hell. The Scriptural figures of Window, Gate, Fleece,
Palace, House, Temple, and Earth - are all fulfilled in
thee." (Bl. Peter the Venerable)
"Just
so the Virgin's womb, a meadow verdant in an endless spring, has
brought forth a flower, whose beauty will never droop, whose
freshness will never fade. O Virgin, branch sublime, to what a
height art thou grown! Even up to Him that sitteth on the throne,
even to the Lord of majesty. It was sure to be so, for thou
castest deep down the roots of humility. O plant of heaven indeed!
Precious above all, holier than all. O tree of life indeed! Alone
worthy to bear the fruit of salvation." (St. Bernard, Doctor
of the Church)
"Admire
then both the benign condescension of the Son and the most
excellent dignity of the Mother; and choose which one of the two
is the more admirable. Each is a wonder, each a miracle. God is
obedient to a woman, and unexampled humility! A woman is in the
place of ancestor to God, a distinction without a sharer! When the
praises of virgins are sung, it is said, that they follow the Lamb
wherever He goes (Apoc. 14,4), of what praise shall she be thought
worthy, who even goes before him?" (St. Bernard, Doctor of
the Church)
"Oh,
with what glorious light thou dost shine, royal daughter of
David's race: seated on high, O Virgin Mary, above all the
dwellers in heaven. Thou with thy virginal honor art Mother; a
home in thy heart for the Lord of the angels, thou, pure one,
didst prepare in thy sacred womb; the Christ born of thee is God
in the flesh. 'Tis He whom the whole world doth trembling adore,
He before whom each knee rightly bends; from Him we implore, by
thy intercession, the dispelling of darkness, the joys of
light." [Age-Old Hymn (Liturgical Year)]
"Our
Lady, moreover, is not only the first-born, the most perfect, the
most holy, of creatures and their Queen - or rather she is all
this, only because she is also the Mother of the Son of God. If we
wish only to prove that she alone surpasses all the united
subjects of her vast empire, we may compare her with man and with
angels, in the order of nature and of grace. But all comparison is
out of the question if we try to follow her to the inaccessible
heights, where, still the handmaid of the Lord, she participates
in the eternal relations which constitute the Blessed Trinity.
What mode of divine charity is that whereby a creature loves God
as her Son?" (Liturgical Year)
"Awake, my harp, your songs in praise of
the Virgin Mary! Lift up your voice and sing of the wonderful
history Of the Virgin, the daughter of David, who gave birth to
the life of the world.. Who loves you is amazed; and who would
understand is silent and confused, Because he cannot probe the
Mother who gave birth in her virginity...In the womb of Mary the
Infant was formed, who from eternity is equal to the Father. He
imparted to us His greatness, and took on our infirmity. He became
mortal like us and joined his life to ours, so that we might die
no more.. This Virgin became a Mother while preserving her
virginity; And though still a Virgin she carried a Child in her
womb; And the handmaid and work of His Wisdom became the Mother of
God." (Hymn of praise, Attr. St. Ephraim of Syria, Doctor of
the Church, c. 4th century A.D.)
"But
the plenitude of Mary's personal merits far surpasses that of all
the saints together. As the cedar of Libanus towards above the
flowers of the field, far more does our Lady's sanctity, next to
that of her divine Son, surpass the sanctity of every other
creature. The Angelic Doctor [St. Thomas Aquinas] says: 'The trees
to which the Blessed Virgin is compared [in the Book of Wisdom,
Eccl. xxiv] may be taken to represent the different orders of the
blessed. This passage therefore means that Mary has been exalted
above the angels, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs,
confessors, virgins, and all the saints, because she possesses all
their merits united in her single person." (Liturgical Year)
"Her
life was marked by the deepest sorrow, by torments, by
uncertainties. Nonetheless, [Mary] did not collapse under their
weight. She continued, imperturbably, to have faith, believing
that what had been told to her by the Lord would be fulfilled. All
her life long she will repeat, full as she is of the Holy Spirit,
or lost in the deepest darkness: 'My being proclaims the greatness
of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my savior, for he has
looked upon his servant in her lowliness' (Lk 1:46-48)... Likewise, Mary shines forth on
earth, until the day of the Lord shall come, as a sign of sure
hope and solace'."
(Pope John Paul II)
"When
the Fathers and writers of the Church meditated on the fact that
the most Blessed Virgin was, in the name and by order of God
himself, proclaimed full of grace
by the Angel Gabriel when he
announced her most sublime dignity of Mother of God, they thought
that this singular and solemn salutation, never heard before,
showed that the Mother of God is the seat of all divine graces and
is adorned with all gifts of the Holy Spirit. To them Mary is an
almost infinite treasury, an inexhaustible abyss of these gifts,
to such an extent that she was never subject to the curse and was,
together with her Son, the only partaker of perpetual benediction.
Hence she was worthy to hear Elizabeth, inspired by the Holy
Spirit, exclaim: 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb.'" (Bl. Pope Pius IX, "Ineffabilis
Deus", 1854)
"All
our hope do we repose in the most Blessed Virgin - in the all fair
and immaculate one who has crushed the poisonous head of the most
cruel [Satan] and brought salvation to the world:
in her who is the glory of the prophets and apostles, the honor of
the martyrs, the crown and joy of all the saints; in her who is
the safest refuge and the most trustworthy helper of all who are
in danger; in her who, with her only-begotten Son, is the most
powerful Mediatrix and Conciliatrix in the whole world; in her who
is the most excellent glory, ornament, and impregnable stronghold
of the holy Church; in her who has destroyed all heresies and
snatched the faithful people and nations from all kinds of direst
calamities; in her do we hope who has delivered us from so many
threatening dangers." (Bl. Pope Pius IX, "Ineffabilis
Deus", 1854)
"Let
us sing that word, so good and sweet: Ave - Hail! It was by that
salutation that the Virgin was made the sanctuary of Christ - the
Virgin, who was both his Mother and his Child. Greeted by that
Hail, the Virgin, born of the family of David, conceived the
Divine Fruit in her womb - She that was the Lily amidst the
thorns. Hail! Thou Mother of the true Solomon, thou Fleece of
Gideon! The Magi, by their three gifts, praise thy delivery. Hail!
Thou Hast given birth to the Sun! Hail! Thou hast given us to see
the Sun, and thereby has restored life and power to this fallen
world. Hail! Thou Spouse of the Divine Word! Haven of the sea!
Burning Bush! Cloud of sweet aromatic spices! Queen of Angels! We
beseech thee, covert us; and commend us so converted, to thy Son,
that he bestow upon us the eternal joys of heaven. Amen."
(Sequence)
"Whoso
remembers having ever invoked thee in vain in his needs, O Blessed
Virgin, let him be silent as to thy mercy. As for us, thy little
servants, we praise thy other virtues, but on this one we
congratulate ourselves. We praise thy virginity, we admire thy
humility; but mercy is sweeter to the wretched; we embrace it more
lovingly, we think of it more frequently, we invoke it
unceasingly. Who can tell the length and breadth and height and
depth of thine, O blessed one? Its length, for it extends to the
last day; its breadth, for it covers the earth...Thou art as
powerful as merciful; having now rejoined thy Son, manifest to the
world the grace thou hast found before God: obtain pardon for
sinners, health for the sick, strength for the weak, consolation
for the afflicted, help and deliverance for those who are in any
danger, O clement, O merciful, O sweet Virgin Mary!"
(Liturgical Year)
"This
doctrine so filled the minds and souls of our ancestors in the
faith that a singular and truly marvelous style of speech came
into vogue among them. They have frequently addressed the Mother
of God as immaculate, as immaculate in every respect; innocent,
and verily most innocent; spotless, and entirely spotless; holy
and removed from every stain of sin; all pure, all stainless, the
very model of purity and innocence; more beautiful than beauty,
more lovely than loveliness; more holy than holiness, singularly
holy and most pure in soul and body; the one who surpassed all
integrity and virginity; the only one who has become the dwelling
place of all the graces of the most Holy Spirit. God alone
excepted, Mary is more excellent than all, and by nature fair and
beautiful, and more holy than the Cherubim and Seraphim. To praise
her all the tongues of heaven and earth do not suffice." (Bl.
Pope Pius IX, "Ineffabilis Deus", 1854)
"Let
this be our joyous praise of Mary: true and fervent love. Let the
cry of our heart, as it sings in the Mother's honor, be presented
to her Son as a tribute of love. Hail thou that broughtest
salvation to men! O Virgin, and Queen of virgins! To Thee, after
God, are due praise and honor, Thou art the fair rose and lily,
whose fragrance drew the Son of God to assume our human nature.
Hail overflowing fount of mercy! Hail true balm of the wounded
heart! Thou art the ministress of pardon, the flame richly fed
with grace, the Queen of matchless glory. Hail spotless mirror of
purity, that givest beauty to the holy Church of God! Where thou
art, there can be no sadness, for thou art the springtime of joy;
thou art the bond of peace and concord. O happy Mother! Use a
Mother's right; and bid thy Son, our Redeemer, forgive us our
sins. These are the gifts we ask of thee: firmness of faith, works
available to salvation, and in the evening of life, a happy death.
Amen." (Sequence)
"The
following praise was given to her in the same words both by the
Archangel Gabriel and St. Elizabeth: 'Blessed art though amongst
women.' Mary is truly called blessed above all other women, she
having been herself always preserved from the least stain of sin,
and having been the happy instrument of God in converting the
maledictions laid on all mankind into blessings. When Judith had
delivered Bethulia from temporal destruction, Ozias, the prince of
the people, said to her 'Blessed art thou, daughter, above all
women upon the face of the earth' (Judith 13:23). And 'the people
all blessed her with one voice, saying: Thou art the glory of
Jerusalem, thou are the joy of Israel, thou art the honor of our
people.' How much more emphatically shall we, from our hearts,
pronounce her blessed above all women who brought forth Him who is
the author of all manner of spiritual and eternal blessings to us.
She most justly said of herself, in the deepest sense of gratitude
to the divine goodness, 'Behold, from henceforth all generations
shall call me blessed' (Lk. 1:48)" (Muller)
"Hail,
incomparable Mother of Him who deigned to take our flesh! Hail, O
most immaculate Mary, that didst bring the fallen world its
resurrection! Hail, thou dispeller of sorrow! Hail, thou that
givest the faithful their Savior! Hail, most high throne of God!
The divinely speaking Prophets revolving in their minds the depth
of thy mystery, O Virgin! prophetically foretold it, for they were
enlightened by the divine Spirit. We that now joyfully behold
their prophecies fulfilled we believe. O Virgin! Thou that art
more admirable than all miracles! Thou didst give birth to Him who
was before all ages, and who was made like unto us through his
great mercy, for he came that he might save them that sing:
Blessed art though, the God of our Fathers! All generations of
men, keeping to thy most sacred words, call thee Blessed, O most
Blessed Mother! And sweetly sing in choral hymns: All ye works of
the Lord, bless the Lord! O Virgin, that lovest holy souls! Make
mine holy, for it is depraved by the evil of sin: make it good,
for thou hast given birth to the good God and Lord." [Hymn
in honor of the Virgin Mother (Liturgical Year)]
"Let
us not be surprised, therefore, at the enthusiasm and profound
respect wherewith the Church extols the Blessed Virgin and her
prerogatives. Let us on the contrary be convinced that all the
praise the Church can give her, and all the devotion she can ever
bear towards her, are far below what is due to her as Mother of
the Incarnate God. No mortal will ever be able to describe, or
even comprehend, how great a glory accrues to her from this
sublime dignity. For, as the glory of Mary comes from her being
the Mother of God, one would have first to comprehend God himself
in order to measure the greatness of her dignity. It is to God
that Mary gave our human nature; it is God whom she had as her
Child; it is God who gloried in rendering himself, inasmuch as he
is Man, subject to her: hence, the true value of such a dignity
possessed by a mere creature, can only be appreciated in
proportion to our knowledge of the sovereign perfections of the
great God, who thus deigns to make himself dependent upon that
favored creature. Let us therefore bow down in deepest adoration
before the Majesty of our God; let us therefore acknowledge that
we cannot respect as it deserves the extraordinary dignity of her
whom he chose for his Mother." (Dom Gueranger)
"Hail
Mary! Sweet hope of the world! Hail, gentle Queen! Hail, loving
Mother! Hail, full of grace! Hail peerless Virgin! Imaged in the
Bush that burned, yet was not burnt. Hail, lovely Rose! Hail,
Jesse's Rod! Whose Fruit broke the chains of our misery. Hail,
Holy Mother! For whom God set aside all nature's laws and made thy
virginal womb bring forth his Son. Hail, matchless Queen! 'Twas
thou didst make the long sad world rejoice. Hail, Beacon of
Virgins! Pouring out thy celestial light on them whom tempests
toss. Hail, Virgin! Of whom the King of heaven would be born, and
suck the food whereon he deigned to live. Hail, Pearl! Hail
Heavenly Orb! Hail, Temple of the Holy Ghost! Oh! How wonderful
and how venerable is this Virginity! In it shone forth a
fruitfulness produced by the Holy Paraclete. And she, the Virgin,
how holy! How peaceful! How kind! How lovely must we deem her! By
the gift she gave us slavery was abolished, the gate of heaven was
opened, and liberty brought back again. O Lily of purity! Pray for
us to thy Son, the Savior of the humble. That in the awful
judgement he may not sentence us to torments for our sins; but
moved by thy holy prayers, may he cleanse us from the dross of sin,
and admit us into mansions of eternal light. Amen! Let every
Christian say, Amen!" (Sequence)
"We
hail thee, O Mary, Mother of God, as the bright gem of the whole
creation; the lamp whose light shall never be put out, the crown
of virginity, the scepter of orthodox faith, the indestructible
temple and shrine of the Infinite, through whom we have received
Him whom the Gospels call Blessed, Him who comes in the name of
the Lord. Hail Mary, whose spotless and virginal womb bore that
infinite One, by whom the Trinity is glorified and the precious
Cross honored and adored throughout the earth. Hail Mary, joy of
heaven, peace of angels and archangels, terror of demons. Through
thee the tempter fell from heaven, through thee the fallen are
raised up to heaven. The world was held captive in idolatrous
folly, and thou hast opened its eyes to the truth. To thee the
faithful owe their baptism, to thee they owe the oil of gladness.
Throughout all the earth thou foundest churches and leadest the
nations to penance. What shall I say more? It was through thee
that the only-begotten Son of God shown forth as the light of
those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death; through thee
that the prophets foretold things to come; through thee that the
Apostles preached salvation to the nations; through thee that the
dead rise again; through thee that kings reign by the grace of the
Holy Trinity. What man could ever adequately praise Mary, who is
worthy of all praise?" [Triumphal Hymn (Liturgical Year)]
"This
sublime and singular privilege of the Blessed Virgin, together
with her most excellent innocence, purity, holiness and freedom
from every stain of sin, as well as the unspeakable abundance and
greatness of all heavenly graces, virtues and privileges - these
the Fathers beheld in that ark of Noah, which was built by divine
command and escaped entirely safe and sound from the common
shipwreck of the whole world; in the ladder which Jacob saw
reaching from the earth to heaven, by whose rungs the angels of
God ascended and descended, and on whose top the Lord himself
leaned; in that bush which Moses saw in the holy place burning on
all sides, which was not consumed or injured in any way but grew
green and blossomed beautifully; in that impregnable tower before
the enemy, from which hung a thousand bucklers and all the armor
of the strong; in that garden enclosed on all sides, which cannot
be violated or corrupted by any deceitful plots; as in that
resplendent city of God, which has its foundations on the holy
mountains; in that most august temple of God, which, radiant with
divine splendors, is full of the glory of God; and in very many
other biblical types of this kind. In such allusions the Fathers
taught that the exalted dignity of the Mother of God, her spotless
innocence and her sanctity unstained by any fault, had been
prophesied in a wonderful manner. In like manner did they use the
words of the prophets to describe this wondrous abundance of
divine gifts and the original innocence of the Virgin of whom
Jesus was born. They celebrated the august Virgin as the spotless
dove, as the holy Jerusalem, as the exalted throne of God, as the
ark and house of holiness which Eternal Wisdom built, and as that
Queen who, abounding in delights and leaning on her Beloved, came
forth from the mouth of the Most High, entirely perfect,
beautiful, most dear to God and never stained with the least
blemish." (Bl. Pope Pius IX, "Ineffabilis Deus", 1854)
"Certainly, in the full and strict meaning
of the term, only Jesus Christ, the God-Man, is King; but Mary,
too, as Mother of the divine Christ, as His associate in the
redemption, in his struggle with His enemies and His final victory
over them, has a share, though in a limited and analogous way, in
His royal dignity. For from her union with Christ she attains a
radiant eminence transcending that of any other creature; from her
union with Christ she receives the royal right to dispose of the
treasures of the Divine Redeemer's Kingdom; from her union with
Christ finally is derived the inexhaustible efficacy of her
maternal intercession before the Son and His Father. Hence it
cannot be doubted that Mary most Holy is far above all other
creatures in dignity, and after her Son possesses primacy over
all. 'You have surpassed every creature,' sings St. Sophronius.
'What can be more sublime than your joy, O Virgin Mother? What
more noble than this grace, which you alone have received from
God'? To this St. Germanus adds: 'Your honor and dignity surpass
the whole of creation; your greatness places you above the
angels.' And St. John Damascene goes so far as to say: 'Limitless
is the difference between God's servants and His Mother.' In order
to understand better this sublime dignity of the Mother of God
over all creatures let us recall that the holy Mother of God was,
at the very moment of her Immaculate Conception, so filled with
grace as to surpass the grace of all the Saints. Wherefore, as Our
Predecessor of happy memory, Pius IX wrote, God 'showered her with
heavenly gifts and graces from the treasury of His divinity so far
beyond what He gave to all the angels and saints that she was ever
free from the least stain of sin; she is so beautiful and perfect,
and possesses such fullness of innocence and holiness, that under
God a greater could not be dreamed, and only God can comprehend
the marvel.' Besides, the Blessed Virgin possessed, after Christ,
not only the highest degree of excellence and perfection, but also
a share in that influence by which He, her Son and our Redeemer,
is rightly said to reign over the minds and wills of men. For if
through His Humanity the divine Word performs miracles and gives
graces, if He uses His Sacraments and Saints as instruments for
the salvation of men, why should He not make use of the role and
work of His most holy Mother in imparting to us the fruits of
redemption" (Pope Pius XII, "Ad Caeli Reginam",
1954 A.D.)
Also
See: Immaculate
Conception / Sinlessness [Pg.] | Mary's
Virtues | No
Honor of Mary is Too High | Mary
& Grace / Graces | We
Should Imitate Mary / Mary is Our Model | The
Queenship of Mary | Annunciation
/ Incarnation [Pg.] | Jesus
& Mary [Pg.] | Mary's
Maternity [Pg.] | The
Blessed Virgin's Intercession [Pg.] | Mary
& Eve | Mary
Vs. Satan | Mary
as Mediatrix / Co-Redemptrix | Devotion
to Mary / Devotion to Mary is Recommended | The
Assumption of Mary Into Heaven | Marian
Facts | Marian
Scriptural
References | Some
Reasons
to Honor the Blessed Virgin Mary | Some
Thoughts
on the Blessed Virgin Mary
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