Virgin Mary

From Saint Alphonso Maria De Liguori

Mother of Mercy

Since powerful Virgin Mary became Mother of the King of the Kings, the Holy Church honours Her and wants that she is honoured by all people with the glorious title of Queen.

"If the Son is King - Saint Athanasius says - his Mother must be considered and called Queen". Saint Bernardino from Siena adds: "Mary has deserved to be said Queen of the world and of all the creatures since the moment in which She accepted to become Mother of the Eternal Word".

Saint Amoldo Abbot adds: "If the body of Mary was not separated from Jesus’ one, how can it be that the Mother is separated from the Reign of the Son?".

Therefore it can be said that the Glory of the Reign is not only in common between the Mother and the Son, but it is the same. If Jesus is King of the universe, also Mary is its Queen. "Constituted Queen by full right She possesses the Reign of Her Son". "Consequently - as Saint Bernardino from Siena asserts - the creatures who obey to God must equally submit themselves to Mary. In fact the Angels, the mankind and all things both in Heaven and on the earth, as they are submitted to God, they are submitted to the Virgin as well".

Guerrico Abbot, addressed to the Divine Mother, says: "Go on, Mary, continue sure to dominate, manage as you want the goods of Your Son, because as you are Mother and Spouse of the King of the world, you reign and dominate like Queen over all the creatures".

Mary is then Queen, but shall everyone know and be consoled, that She is a sweet, clement Queen and She is inclined to the good for us, wretch people. For this reason the Holy Church wants that with this prayer we call Her Queen of Mercy.

"The magnificence of kings and Queens consists in relieving the wretch” Seneca says. Therefore, while the tyrants in reigning aim their interest, the scope of a king must be the good for his subjected people. In the ceremony of consecration of the kings in fact their heads are greased with oil that is symbol of mercy, in order to show that during their reign they must above all be worried to benefit and to help their people. The kings, therefore, must mainly do works of mercy, without forgetting to be right towards the guilty, when required.

Mary is different; even if She is Queen, She is not Queen of justice, ready to punish the wicked people, but Queen of Mercy, prompt to mercy and forgiveness of the sinners. For this reason the Church wants that we call Her: Queen of Mercy.

The great chancellor of Paris John Gersone, after considering the words of David: ".A word God said, two words I heard: the power belongs to God, Gentleman, the grace is Yours", says that the Reign of God consists in justice and mercy and the Gentleman has divided it: He has reserved the Reign of justice to Himself and has given the Reign of mercy to Mary and has ordered that all mercy is given to mankind through Mary and according to the will of the Virgin. It is confirmed by Saint Thomas in the preface to the canonical Epistles, saying: "When Our Lady conceived and gave birth to the Divine Word, She obtained the half of the Reign of God, becoming Queen of Mercy while Jesus Christ was King of justice".

The Eternal Father constituted Jesus Christ King of justice and therefore universal Judge of the world. For this reason the Prophet sang: "God, give your judgement to the King, your justice to the Son of the King". Furthermore a learned interpreter says: "Gentleman, you have given Your Son the justice, because you have granted Your Mercy to the Mother of the King". Saint Bonaventura modifies the sentence of David asserting: "God, give the King Your judgement and His Mother Your Mercy". In the same way the archbishop of Prague, Ernest, says that the Eternal Father has given the Son the task to judge and to punish, the Mother the assignment to pity and to help the wretch.

How can God not answer Mary, who He loves immensely, when She prays Him for the poor asking sinners and says: "My King and God, if I have found grace by You - but the Divine Mother knows well that She has been Blessed, that She is the only one who has found that grace lost by all people; She well knows that She is the most loved by the Gentleman, loved more than all Saints and Angels together – give Me, Gentleman, these sinners for which I am praying You".

Is it possible that God does not answer Her? Who does not know what power Mary’s prayers have in front of God? "And there is doctrine of goodness in Her words". Every Her prayer becomes law established by the Gentleman; being merciful to all those people applying to Mary.

Saint Bernard asks: "Why does the Church call Mary Queen of Mercy?". And he answers: "Because we believe that She opens the abyss of the Mercy of God to who She wants, when She wants and how She wants. In this way there is no sinner, although the amount of his sins is huge, who gets lost if Mary protects him".

Have we any reason to fear that Mary refuses to ask for graces for some sinners, because She sees that they have too many sins? Or perhaps are we afraid of the Majesty and the Holiness of this great Queen? "No - Saint Gregory says - as much She is higher and more holy, so She is much sweeter and more merciful with the sinners willing to be converted and invoking Her". Kings and Queens showing great solemnity rouse fair, so that the subjected people are afraid at their presence. "But - Saint Bernard says - what fear can the wretch have to apply to the Queen of Mercy who does not appear terrible or austere to whom prays Her, but shows not other than sweetness and courtesy?".

Our Queen cannot lie and can obtain what she wants for Her devout people. L. Blosio assures: "She has such a good and merciful Heart, that She is happy in pleasing anyone prays Her". "But how could you, Mary - Saint Bernard says - refuse to help the wretch, as you are the Queen of Mercy? Who are subjected to Mercy other than people in need? You are Queen of Mercy and I am the poorest sinner. Therefore if I am the biggest of Your subjected, you must look after me more than after the others. Have therefore mercy of us and think to save us".

"Do not tell us, Holy Virgin - Gregory from Nicomedia seems to tell Her further - that you cannot help us because the amount of our sins, since you have such power and mercy, than no amount of sins can never win them. Nothing resists to Your power because our common Creator, honouring you who are His Mother, considers Your Glory His Glory. The Son rejoicing in You meets Your requests nearly like He is acquitting a debit".

This means that, although Mary is very obliged towards the Son who has predestined Her to become His Mother, however also the Son is obliged towards the Mother who has given Him the life as man.

Therefore Jesus, nearly for gratitude to Mary, enjoying Her Glory, honours Her particularly and answers always all Her prayers.

Then our confidence in Mary must be very large, as we know how powerful in God She is. She is rich and full of Mercy for those who pray Her to such point that there is no being that is not affected by Her mercy and favours.

The Blessed Virgin herself revealed to Saint Bridget: "I am Queen of Heaven and Mother of Mercy: I am joy for the just and gate introducing the sinners in the presence of God. There is no sinner on the earth who is so execrated to be deprived of My Mercy, since everyone, if he did not receive other than my intervention, would obtain at least the grace of being less tempted by the demons. Nobody then, provided that he has not already been cursed - and here it means the last and irrevocable judgement received by the damned - is rejected by God so that, if he asks Me for help, he cannot return to Him and enjoy His Mercy". "I am called Mother of Mercy by all people and effectively the Mercy of God has created Me so clement towards mankind. I am so merciful that I very much wish to help the sinners so that he will be poor and unfortunate eternally in the other life who in this life, even if he can apply to Me, is so wretch that he does not invoke Me and he damns himself".

Therefore let’s gather always to the feet of our sweet Queen, if we want to save ourselves with certainty. If our sins frighten and discourage us, let’s consider that Mary was made Queen of Mercy just to save the largest and most despairing sinners, who apply to Her, with Her protection. These must be Her crown in Heaven, according to what Her Divine Spouse told Her: "Come with me from Lebanon, My Spouse, come from Lebanon, come! You will be crowned... by the lairs of the lions, by the mounts of the leopards ".

Who are these lairs of fairs and monsters, if not the poor sinners, whose souls become like lairs of sins, horrible monsters, the most deformed ones that can be found? Robert Abbot adds: "Powerful Queen Mary, in Heaven you will be crowned just by these wretch sinners who were saved thanks to Your mediation. Their salvation will be Your crown, much deserved diadem and worthy of the Queen of Mercy".
Taken from: the Glories of Mary