MARY: OUR MOTHER, PROTECTRESS, AND ETERNAL ADVOCATE
MARY: OUR MOTHER, PROTECTRESS, AND ETERNAL ADVOCATE |
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Consider how mothers, homemakers in particular, are underappreciated by our society as a whole. This unfortunate circumstance is not limited to Earthly mothers. This also extends to our Eternal Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
When people hear Mary's name, they say, "Yeah, she had Jesus," and that's it. They also say, "Well, if she didn't do it, God would have found someone who would." This is erroneous. God specifically created Mary for her role as the Mother of God; she was not a random selection. She was free of Original Sin from her first moments in the womb of her mother, unlike any other human being. Yet, like the rest of mankind, she did have free will.
One day, she was visited by the Angel of God, Gabriel, and asked if she would bear God's son. She said, "Yes," and God filled her with the Holy Spirit. She and her husband Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem to register themselves in the census. Being unable to find an inn, they stayed in a stable where Mary gave birth to the baby boy, the Son of God, who she would name Jesus. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in the manger.
There is little about her in the Bible. Our ideas of Mary did not start at the time of Christ's birth, but with a second century document titled The Book of James. This document is filled with details of Mary's physical life, i.e., her birth and marriage. This book has never been accorded canonical authority; however, it inspired devotion to Our Lady that continues to the present day. Pope John Paul II has a deep devotion to Mary. He credits her with saving his life in the assassination attempt on him back on May 13, 1981, and with defeating atheistic communism in the mid-1980's. Mary's image is that of a mother, meek servant of God, strong woman, warrior against Satan, and advocate, among other images.
Lately, in the 19th and 20th centuries, increased occurrences of Marian apparitions have been reported. Her qualities of mother, warrior against Satan, and advocate come out strongly. Mary has appeared throughout the centuries since Christ's death to certain people, including commoners and saints, to deliver messages from God. I cite the examples of Lourdes, Fatima, and, most recently, Medjugorje in the former Yugoslavia. She (mother) urges us not to offend God any more; and to pray, repent, and do penance: in effect, return to God and obey Him. She (warrior) tells us that her Immaculate Heart will defeat Satan. She (advocate) has been able to persuade God to mitigate some of the upcoming punishments she has foretold to different visionaries.
I would like to expand on her role as advocate. We are often questioned as to why we pray to Mary. The argument used is that, "She's not Jesus," or "She's not God." Why do we need Mary when we can go to God? "Because in a world asked to be God-fearing, humankind requires someone or something to help us fight the fear."1 This is where her role as advocate comes in. It is often said that if you fear the Father, go to the Son; if you fear the Son, go to the Mother, i.e., Mary. "She mitigates divine wrath."2
It is documented that she has intervened at the time of death with many souls, who otherwise would have gone to Hell, and allowed them to repent before her Son. That is NOT to say that we are free to sin because she will save us. The point is that she will do all she can to help the truly repentant obtain eternal life by pleading with Jesus to have mercy on them. A recent article in Life Magazine related an anecdote that illustrates this: God walked through the streets of Heaven and saw people who had no business being there. God went to Peter at the Gates of Heaven and admonished him for letting people in who had no business being there. Peter replied that it was not his fault; that when he turned undeserving people away at the gate, they went to the back door, and God's Mother (Mary) let them in.
Mary as advocate takes form in two other ways: One is the privilege of The Brown Scapular. Through this, Mary assists her children in cleansing their souls and shortening their stay in Purgatory. The Brown Scapular consists of two squares of cloth about 2 square inches connected to each other by two cloth strings so when one wears it, there is one cloth in front and one in back. It is worn at all times and under the clothes. One must be initiated into the Scapular by a priest to receive any privileges connected to it. This Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel originated in the 13th Century. The Blessed Virgin appeared to Blessed Simon Stock and presented him with the Brown Scapular and told him that whoever dies devoutly clothed in this habit shall not suffer eternal fire. Soon afterwards, it was canonically erected by the Holy See.
1. Pray the Rosary daily (at least five decades)
2. Wear the Brown Scapular
3. Daily duty through the Morning Offering:
O my God, in union with the Immaculate Hear of Mary [Here kiss the Scapular as a sign of consecration. This carries a partial indulgence.] I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Jesus from all the altars throughout the world, joining with It the offering of my every thought, word and action of this day. O my Jesus, I desire today to gain every indulgence and merit I can, and I offer them together with myself, to Mary Immaculate - that she may best apply them to the interests of thy most Sacred Heart. Precious Blood of Jesus, save us! Immaculate heart of Mary, pray for us! Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
(An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.)
There are other privileges offered by Mary. One is the Sabbatine Privilege: If one goes to Purgatory, she will descend on the first Saturday after death and release that person from Purgatory. This privilege can be obtained by those who:
1. Wear the Brown Scapular,
2. Observe chastity according to their state in life,
3. Recite daily the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This third condition can be commuted by any priest to another practice in honor of Mary. The first and second conditions are mandatory.
Another privilege is the Saturday Devotion: Mary promises special graces at the hour of death to all who on the first Saturday of five consecutive months:
1. Go to Confession and receive Holy Communion
2. Recite five decades of the Rosary and
3. Keep her company for 15 minutes be meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary.
Again, she is acting as an advocate mitigating divine wrath. Considering that one hour in Purgatory is more painful than the longest, hardest life on Earth, Mary is asking very little of us in fulfilling these conditions. For more information on the Brown Scapular, please contact
The World Apostolate of Fatimaor call (908) 689-1700
In order to fully appreciate the aid that Mary gives in Purgatory, one must have an understanding of Purgatory and its pains and sufferings. The following illustrates this.
The existence of Purgatory is forgotten and dismissed by too many people. We know that it is where people go who die in a state of grace, but are not pure enough for Heaven, i.e., still have venial sins on their souls. When we think of Purgatory, if we think of it at all, we think of it as a twilight zone between Heaven and Hell. We regard it not as a place of great physical pain, but of the pain of loss: the deprivation of the vision of God, which some would argue is the greatest suffering of all. Purgatory has been revealed though the testimony of the saints, as well as the Virgin Mary herself, throughout the centuries.
What is the Church's position on this? 1. The Church teaches that Purgatory exits. 2. Occupants of Purgatory can be assisted by people on Earth through penance and suffering. (I will cover this 2nd point in more detail.)
According to Mary and the saints, it is a place where souls in an imperfect state of grace are purified. There is physical pain as well as pain of loss. The degree and duration of suffering depends on the severity of the sins to be cleansed. It can range from fire as painful as that of Hell to only the deprivation of the sight of God, with little or no physical pain in addition. It is said several times, and by Mary herself in Medjugorje, that one hour of Purgatory is more painful than the longest, hardest life on Earth. When we go to Confession, we are forgiven for our sins; however, these sins leaves stains on our soul that must be cleansed in Purgatory if not cleansed on Earth.
We can cleanse these stains away while still on Earth and at the same time help the souls now in Purgatory. Many people are unaware of this: we can alleviate their sufferings and/or shorten the length of time they are there through prayers (even one Our Father and one Hail Mary is very powerful), alms/charity, fasts, penance of any kind, offering up daily sufferings and burdens, indulgences, and having Masses said for the dead. Having Masses said for the dead is the most effective way to help them. When we offer something for the souls in Purgatory, we help mitigate some of our own temporal punishment.
Again, in helping them, we help ourselves. Scripture encourages us to pray for the dead as in 2 Machabees 12:46, "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins."
1. Devotion to Mary
2. Charity and works of mercy of all kinds whether towards the poor, sinners, our enemies, those who injure us, or towards the dead.
3. Christian mortification and obedience. This involves taking our sufferings, trials, daily duties and burdens, and bearing them with Christ and in Christ and offering them as penance.
4. The use of the sacraments, especially the last sacrament at death.
5. Having confidence in the Mercy of God.
6. The humble and submissive acceptance of our death in expiation of our sins.
I would like to explain in more detail what indulgences are and how to obtain them. An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven. A partial indulgence frees one from part of the temporal punishment due to sin (punishment which must be undergone either in this life or in Purgatory). A plenary indulgence frees one from the whole of the temporal punishment due to sin. Both partial and plenary indulgences can always be applied to the departed by way of suffrage. To be capable of gaining an indulgence for oneself, a person must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace.
In order to gain a plenary indulgence, one must
perform the prescribed work and have fulfilled 3 conditions:
1. Sacramental Confession (Though one Confession suffices for gaining several plenary indulgences on different days (for gaining daily plenary indulgences, go to Confession at least once every two weeks.)
2. Eucharistic Communion (This should be on the same day the work is performed, though it may be fulfilled several days before or after the performance of the prescribed work, and must be received for every plenary indulgence obtained.)
3. Prayer for the intention of the Supreme Pontiff (This should be on the same day the work is performed, though it also may be fulfilled several days before or after the work. Praying for the Pope's intention is fully satisfied by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary or any other prayer.)
In addition, it is required that all attachment to sin, even venial sin, be absent. If this is incomplete in any way, including fulfilling the three conditions, the indulgence will be only partial.
A person may gain only one plenary indulgence per day with the exception of one who is in danger of death. There are at least 4 ways to gain a plenary indulgence:
1. Visitation for adornment of the Blessed Sacrament for at least 1/2 hour.
2. Reading of the Holy Scripture for at least 1/2 hour.
3. Performing the exercise of the Way of the Cross.
4. Recitation of at least five decades of the Rosary with devout meditation of the mysteries in a church, family group or religious community.
There are three general ways to gain a partial indulgence:
1. In the course of bearing the duties and burdens of one's daily life, the person offers some pious invocation, such as "this is for love of you, for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary" (recommended at Fatima), or "All for Thee," or some such invocation.
2. Giving of oneself or of one's goods for the needy (only those that are for service i.e. food and clothing for the body, and instruction and comfort for the soul).
3. Abstaining from something permitted and pleasing, i.e., penance. This is even better when combined with charity: giving to the poor what would have been spent on pleasure.
Mary is more than the woman who gave birth to Jesus. She is our mother too: she comforts us, aids us in our struggle against Satan, does everything possible to obtain for us eternal salvation, and mediates for us with God. She asks for little in return. She herself has stated during her numerous apparitions that she is here to lead us to Jesus. Let us resolve then to look upon Mary as truly our Mother, our Protectress, and our Eternal Advocate.
Hail Holy Queen Mother of Mercy
Our life, our sweetness and our hope
To you do we cry poor banished children of Eve
To you do we send up our sighs, mourning, and weeping
In this vale of tears
Turn then most Gracious Advocate
Your eyes of mercy toward us
And after this our exile
Show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb Jesus
O clement O loving O Sweet Virgin Mary
Pray for us O Holy Mother of God
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ
1. Robert Sullivan. "The Mystery of Mary, " Life Magazine, December 1996, p. 55.
2. Ibid, p. 55.
Medjugorje Web Site
Sullivan, Robert. "The Mystery of Mary." Life Magazine December 1996. p. 44-60.
Schouppe, Fr. F.X. Purgatory Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints. Tan Books and Publishers, Inc. Rockford, IL. 5th printing, May 1994. (This book is available in the parish library.)
The World Apostolate of Fatima
Box 976Phone: (908) 689-1700
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This article was contributed by Becky Geiger. Thanks Becky!