" The mother of Jesus was there." St. John, 2:1.
Recently the ancient and modern mixed when a statue of Our Lady became a first-class passenger on an airplane. Ever since September, 1948, our Blessed Mother, Mediatrix of all Graces, has appeared at a Carmelite Monastery at Lipa in the Philippines. Some time ago a postulant, that is, a young girl who is seeking admission to the Carmelite Order, was privileged to witness several appearances of Our Lady.
This young girl made a statue of Our Lady, Mediatrix of all Graces, and the statue which had the airplane ride is modeled after this original carving.
The story is told in a new magazine called "Queen of all Hearts." The report of the appearances and of the showers of rose petals that fell in Lipa, was brought to Nativity Parish in Litchfield, Connecticut, in 1949. As a result, devotion to Our Lady under this title grew rapidly in the parish, and the pastor arranged to have a replica of the Lipa statue flown to New York in time for the opening of a novena on September 12. However, when it came time to load the crated statue on the plane it was found that it would not pass through the doorway. The crating was removed and the statue rode to the United States in a passenger plane beside Dr. Genaro Vidal, a professor at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. As the plane settled down in New York, a crowd from Nativity Parish was there to meet it . They noticed a strong, sweet fragrance described by some as the odor of roses. The statue is now enshrined in Nativity Church, where devotion to Mary under that title, which we honor on May 6, continues to grow.
1. How do we know that Mary is the Mediatrix of all Graces? How is it that she obtains for us every grace? The main reason is this: Mary is the Mother of God, the Mother of Jesus who is true God, the Mother of Christ who is the Author of all grace. Since Mary is the Mother of Christ, who is the Author of all grace, she is naturally the Mother of all Grace
We must always remember that Mary is the Mother of the entire Christ, and the entire Christ includes you and me. The mystical body of Christ means that you are members of a body of which Christ is the Head. Accordingly, Mary is the Mother, not only of Jesus, but of all those who belong to Jesus. She is the Mother not only of the Head of the mystical body, but she is also the Mother of the members. As a Mother, she trained and cared for Christ. As a Mother, she knew what it meant to perform all those little tasks, to render those thousand and one little attentions which show the true mother. And that same task she performs for us who are members of Christ. Just as she took care of the Infant Jesus, so she takes care of us as infants. Just as she took care of Jesus as a small Boy, so she takes care of us. The same holds for the teens and all through life. We might put it a different way by saying that we are brothers and sisters of Jesus, because we have a common Father in heaven. As brothers and sisters of Christ Mary takes care of us as her own children.
2. The Bible supports our belief that Mary is the Mediatrix of all Graces. Recall the marriage feast of Cana. Recall the important words, "The mother of Jesus was there." Yes, Mary was present when Jesus changed the water into wine. She was also there all through the life of Christ. Before He was born Jesus was in the womb of Mary. When St. John was sanctified in the womb of his mother, St. Elizabeth, Mary was there. Mary was in Bethlehem, in Egypt, at Nazareth. She was in the upper room waiting for the Holy Spirit. She was at the foot of the cross, and at the open tomb on that first Easter.
The whole story of Jesus has the golden thread running through it -- "The mother of Jesus was there." In a word, Mary shared in the life, the labors, the sufferings, the death and the triumph and glories of Christ. She shared with her Son, and because of this Mary has the blessed task of dispensing the merits which Jesus has gained for us.
3. What the Bible tells us has been believed all through the centuries. The thought that Mary is the Mediatrix of all Graces has been the constant tradition of Christ's Church. The thought is in many early writings. For example, Mary was always called the second Eve, in the sense that through the first Eve and the first Adam man lost grace, while through the second Adam, Christ, and the second Eve, Mary, grace was restored. Listen to St. Germanus of the eighth century:
"No one obtains salvation save through thee, O Most Holy. No one is saved from evil, save through thee, O Most Immaculate. No one is enriched with blessings, save through thee, O Most Chaste. No one receives the gift of grace from God's mercy, save through thee, O Most Highly Honored."
4. This teaching of the ages has been made crystal clear by the popes of the last two hundred years. I n letters to the world the Vicar of Christ has pointed out the role of Mary as distributor of God's graces to us all. The divine office of her feast and the Mass for that day, May 6, quotes Scripture and tradition to show that Mary is the source of all grace, the medium of grace to men.
5. Reason offers an argument. God could have given us a Redeemer in some other way than through Mary. But that is the way God chose. Hence, since we receive Christ through Mary, so we receive the graces of Christ through Mary. We who stand in daily need of God's grace, can do no better than beg for it through Mary. Amen
Source: Feasts of Our Lady, Imprimatur 1952
A coloring picture of Our Lady can be found below.
Recently the ancient and modern mixed when a statue of Our Lady became a first-class passenger on an airplane. Ever since September, 1948, our Blessed Mother, Mediatrix of all Graces, has appeared at a Carmelite Monastery at Lipa in the Philippines. Some time ago a postulant, that is, a young girl who is seeking admission to the Carmelite Order, was privileged to witness several appearances of Our Lady.
This young girl made a statue of Our Lady, Mediatrix of all Graces, and the statue which had the airplane ride is modeled after this original carving.
The story is told in a new magazine called "Queen of all Hearts." The report of the appearances and of the showers of rose petals that fell in Lipa, was brought to Nativity Parish in Litchfield, Connecticut, in 1949. As a result, devotion to Our Lady under this title grew rapidly in the parish, and the pastor arranged to have a replica of the Lipa statue flown to New York in time for the opening of a novena on September 12. However, when it came time to load the crated statue on the plane it was found that it would not pass through the doorway. The crating was removed and the statue rode to the United States in a passenger plane beside Dr. Genaro Vidal, a professor at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. As the plane settled down in New York, a crowd from Nativity Parish was there to meet it . They noticed a strong, sweet fragrance described by some as the odor of roses. The statue is now enshrined in Nativity Church, where devotion to Mary under that title, which we honor on May 6, continues to grow.
1. How do we know that Mary is the Mediatrix of all Graces? How is it that she obtains for us every grace? The main reason is this: Mary is the Mother of God, the Mother of Jesus who is true God, the Mother of Christ who is the Author of all grace. Since Mary is the Mother of Christ, who is the Author of all grace, she is naturally the Mother of all Grace
We must always remember that Mary is the Mother of the entire Christ, and the entire Christ includes you and me. The mystical body of Christ means that you are members of a body of which Christ is the Head. Accordingly, Mary is the Mother, not only of Jesus, but of all those who belong to Jesus. She is the Mother not only of the Head of the mystical body, but she is also the Mother of the members. As a Mother, she trained and cared for Christ. As a Mother, she knew what it meant to perform all those little tasks, to render those thousand and one little attentions which show the true mother. And that same task she performs for us who are members of Christ. Just as she took care of the Infant Jesus, so she takes care of us as infants. Just as she took care of Jesus as a small Boy, so she takes care of us. The same holds for the teens and all through life. We might put it a different way by saying that we are brothers and sisters of Jesus, because we have a common Father in heaven. As brothers and sisters of Christ Mary takes care of us as her own children.
2. The Bible supports our belief that Mary is the Mediatrix of all Graces. Recall the marriage feast of Cana. Recall the important words, "The mother of Jesus was there." Yes, Mary was present when Jesus changed the water into wine. She was also there all through the life of Christ. Before He was born Jesus was in the womb of Mary. When St. John was sanctified in the womb of his mother, St. Elizabeth, Mary was there. Mary was in Bethlehem, in Egypt, at Nazareth. She was in the upper room waiting for the Holy Spirit. She was at the foot of the cross, and at the open tomb on that first Easter.
The whole story of Jesus has the golden thread running through it -- "The mother of Jesus was there." In a word, Mary shared in the life, the labors, the sufferings, the death and the triumph and glories of Christ. She shared with her Son, and because of this Mary has the blessed task of dispensing the merits which Jesus has gained for us.
3. What the Bible tells us has been believed all through the centuries. The thought that Mary is the Mediatrix of all Graces has been the constant tradition of Christ's Church. The thought is in many early writings. For example, Mary was always called the second Eve, in the sense that through the first Eve and the first Adam man lost grace, while through the second Adam, Christ, and the second Eve, Mary, grace was restored. Listen to St. Germanus of the eighth century:
"No one obtains salvation save through thee, O Most Holy. No one is saved from evil, save through thee, O Most Immaculate. No one is enriched with blessings, save through thee, O Most Chaste. No one receives the gift of grace from God's mercy, save through thee, O Most Highly Honored."
4. This teaching of the ages has been made crystal clear by the popes of the last two hundred years. I n letters to the world the Vicar of Christ has pointed out the role of Mary as distributor of God's graces to us all. The divine office of her feast and the Mass for that day, May 6, quotes Scripture and tradition to show that Mary is the source of all grace, the medium of grace to men.
5. Reason offers an argument. God could have given us a Redeemer in some other way than through Mary. But that is the way God chose. Hence, since we receive Christ through Mary, so we receive the graces of Christ through Mary. We who stand in daily need of God's grace, can do no better than beg for it through Mary. Amen
Source: Feasts of Our Lady, Imprimatur 1952
A coloring picture of Our Lady can be found below.
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