And when the ark of the Lord came into the city of David,
Michol the daughter of Saul, looking out through a window,
saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord.
2 Samuel 6, 16

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.
Luke 1, 43-44

Grace is a gift from God the Father which is made available to us through the merits of God the Son, who died and rose again. The distribution of divine grace is the responsibility of God the Holy Spirit. The Blessed Virgin Mary, through her divine motherhood and mystical union with the Holy Spirit as His chaste spouse, has a universal maternal role in dispensing all actual graces in collaboration with the third Person of the Holy Trinity. Mary cooperated with divine grace in faith and love, and it was through her that the living Font of all grace came into the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. Her Son, Jesus Christ, has willed to continue coming to us through her mediation, and he continues to reach out to us through her until the end of this age.

This maternity of Mary in the order of grace began with the consent that she gave in faith at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross and lasts until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this salvific duty, but by her constant intercession continued to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation. Through her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and cultics, until they are led into the happiness of their true home. Therefore, the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix. This, however, is to be so understood that it neither takes away from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficaciousness of Christ the one Mediator. 
– Lumen Gentium, 62 [Vatican 2 Council]

In order to understand how the Virgin Mary is designated as the Mediatrix of Grace, it is important to clear up any potential confusion regarding the fact that Christ is the only mediator between God and man. Some Protestants object to this Catholic Marian doctrine, believing that it detracts from or adds to the dignity and efficacy of Christ as the one mediator. To support their objection, they often quote 1 Timothy 2:5 in isolation, which states, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus."

According to St. Paul, Jesus is not the "one and only" mediator in the economy of salvation. If that were his intention, he would have chosen the Greek word "monos" instead of "heis". By using "heis", Paul means that there is "one and the same mediator between God and humanity". Jesus is the only mediator for both Jews and Gentiles in terms of uniqueness, but in terms of function, he is universal, as implied by the word "heis". This is what Paul meant, considering what he wrote in the previous four verses. He urged that "petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people, because God our Savior wants everyone to be saved and come to know the truth" (1 Tim 2:1-4). Baptized Christians are by no means passive in the divine work of salvation.

If we were to ask Paul, who is considered the father of the theology of human mediation, how the Blessed Virgin Mary is a mediator (mediatrix), he would say that she intercedes for us in the name of her divine Son by making petitions and prayerful intercessions in Heaven. It's important to note that Mary isn't our Mediatrix of Grace because she gave herself as "a ransom for all people" through the outpouring of her blood (as stated in 1 Timothy 2:6). For Paul, Mary is a factual mediator, similar to himself and Abraham, who intercedes for us by participating in the principal mediation of her divine Son (covenantal Mediator) through his merits. All baptized Christians can do this as adopted sons and daughters of God, but only the mother of our Lord holds a pre-eminent place in the order of grace because of her moral participation in the hypostatic order of Christ's incarnation and his work of redemption.

The teachings of Vatican 2 are clear that Christ is the one and only mediator, by divine nature. His work of redemption as both God and man has earned humanity the initial grace of justification and forgiveness, as well as producing all the actual graces that we can receive and minister through his passion and death. What Christ has earned for us is the ability to merit an increase of grace and charity for ourselves and others, enabling our growth in sanctification and justification (Eph 2:8-9). The righteous prayers of believers are heard by God (Jas 5:17), and it is through Christ's unique mediation that we become adopted children of God, partaking in his divine nature and becoming a kingdom of priests to serve him. Good works are a direct result of the grace given to us by God through the merits of Christ. These good works include both corporal and spiritual acts of mercy, such as offering our prayers for others and making personal sacrifices for the salvation of souls (Eph 2:10).

Additionally, according to the Divine plan, there is only one mediator, Jesus Christ. His sacrificial work is necessary for humanity's redemption and reconciliation with God. Without Christ, salvation is not possible. Although God has willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary should participate in His plan of salvation, her involvement and contribution are not necessary to merit grace for anyone, including herself, through strict justice. However, she can merit through her prayerful mediation which is sufficient insofar as how God has ordered her moral participation through her Son's merits. Without the contributions of the Virgin Mary or any other saint, the reward of eternal life could not be achieved at all.

Although Christ's mediation is more than enough and necessary for the forgiveness of sins and our initial justification, God has also committed to honor the merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary in His love and mercy. However, Mary can only merit an increase in sanctification and charity, which are necessary to attain salvation, a gift and reward that Christ alone has produced for mankind. Our Lord and Savior does not depend on anyone in what he alone has merited for mankind (justification and forgiveness). Nevertheless, he desires that every member of his mystical body participates with him in his mediation or dispensation of grace, now that he alone has merited grace for them. As we read in 1 Peter 4:10, "As every man has received grace, ministering the same one to another: as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."

The doctrine of sola Christo (Christ alone) was originally a Catholic belief, but it has been exaggerated in Protestantism. This belief implies that all baptized Christians are passive spectators in God's plan of salvation and don't have the power to be saved or to be reckoned as just. However, the Blessed Virgin Mary was not a passive spectator when she said, "Let it be done to me, according to thy word" (Lk 1:38). By her free consent, she brought the living source of all grace into the world so that "all might be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim 2:4). God respected her free will and honored it during the Incarnation.

The Catholic Church's universal Magisterium reminds us that Mary is a human being and not divine. God chose her to be our Mediatrix solely because she agreed to be the mother of Jesus and participate closely in his redemptive work. However, what she has and can merit for us only happens through her cooperation with her son's merits, not in coordination with them. Therefore, we must always remember that Mary's role in her son's saving work is due to God's free decision. Mary or any other saint should not be considered equal to her divine Son in his unique mediation, which is the only necessary means of our redemption. Without it, her factual mediation for an increase in sanctification or justification would not exist. Mary's entire ability to fulfill God's plan comes exclusively from her Son, who is the source of all human merit in his sacred humanity and the divine source of all saving grace.

It is important to note that the term "Mediatrix of Grace" refers to all the actual or signal graces that are necessary for our increase in sanctification and attaining eternal life with God. This includes the actual graces of faith, hope, charity, repentance, chastity, and final perseverance, without which we cannot reap the fruits of Christ's saving work. As baptized individuals, we are in the process of being saved and renewed daily. Our justification is not a one-time and completed event. Therefore, Catholics ask for Mary's intercession for these helping graces, for example, when they recite the Rosary. However, it is important to note that these signal graces do not include the initial grace of justification and forgiveness for our sanctification, which has been merited and produced by Christ alone through his death and resurrection.

Mary is known as the Mediatrix and Dispensatrix of grace. This means that, by God's special design, all the graces earned by Christ for our salvation are primarily given to us through the mediation of his mother. These are the actual graces that Christ pours out to us through the Holy Spirit, helping us to grow in our sanctification or justification due to Mary's moral influence with her divine Son. Mary works in cooperation with her divine Son through her maternal intercession, applying saving grace to all those in spiritual need according to God's will. Mary also cooperated in the same way when she freely agreed to be the mother of our Lord, out of love and in a state of grace, for the redemption of mankind in the shadow of the Cross on Calvary (Lk 2:34-35).

Sacramental grace is received through the valid and fruitful reception of any of the seven sacraments. Each sacrament imparts a distinctive sacramental grace that serves its respective purpose in the supernatural life of the soul. The actual graces that are given upon the reception of the sacraments effectually sanctify the soul, making it just. However, the faithful do not receive graces that are physically channeled through supernaturally transformed properties inherently present in Mary, such as those conferred by applying the sacramental water of baptism or the oil of chrismation. Rather, the graces they receive through her mediation are a share of the graces that she herself has received from the Holy Spirit without any physical contact with her.

The Virgin Mary's role in the objective redemption of humanity highlights what Catholic theologians refer to as "subjective redemption." In order to be saved, we need to freely cooperate with the graces that God graciously offers us for our sanctification. Sanctification is the supernatural life we share with God. The Holy Spirit works through Mary, who serves as our mediator and primary dispenser of grace, just as he works through the Seven Sacraments to bestow actual graces and sanctifying grace. However, unlike Mary, the sacraments are physical instruments that transmit grace, rather than a moral influence that confers it.

Sanctifying grace is a supernatural state achieved by the infusion of God's grace into the soul. This grace is created by the Holy Spirit's activity through His efficacious actual graces, and it permeates and affects the soul's supernatural quality. When one receives an actual grace by touching the hem of Mary's mantle, the grace is contained in the sacramental garment as a supernatural healing property and not in Mary herself. However, Mary would undoubtedly be endowed with that same grace through the working of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, people were cured of their illnesses and freed from demonic oppression or possession by touching the handkerchiefs and aprons that Paul used to wipe sweat from his body (Acts 19:12).

Blessed Virgin Mary, we are essentially entrusting ourselves to her divine Son, who has granted His mother the authority to direct the distribution of His grace. In doing so, we can continue to abide in His love by faithfully observing all His commandments (John 15:9-10). From the moment of our baptism, Christ's redemptive work in our souls continues as we journey in faith towards spiritual perfection, bearing fruit and persevering in grace until the end (Colossians 1:11-12; 3:9-10). Final perseverance is one of the many actual graces we can receive through the intercessory prayers of the Blessed Mother, who can obtain them for us by her supernatural merits, as long as we humbly ask for her intercession according to her Son's will (Prov 15:29).

​“Under your mercy we take refuge, O Mother of God,
Do not reject our supplications in necessity,
but deliver us from danger.”
– Sub Tuum Praesidium (c. A.D. 250)

And the ark of the Lord abode in the house of Obededom
the Gethite three months: and the Lord blessed Obededom,
and all his household.
2 Samuel 6, 11

And Mary abode with her about three months;
and she returned to her own house.
Luke 1, 56

The prophet Isaiah foretold John's coming into the world to prepare mankind for the arrival of the Messiah. He described John as "A voice of one calling in the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God" (Isa 40:3). Another prophet, Malachi, also prophesized about John, saying, "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the Lord Almighty" (Mal 3:1). Had John been sanctified and justified by being made holy in his mother's womb, it would have been in anticipation of his ministry to administer or mediate the grace of justification and forgiveness through the sacrament. John baptized his followers in the Jordan River, which symbolizes the drowning of their old life in the flesh and their emergence out of the water of purification into a new life in the spirit, through the foreseen merits of Christ.

The grace that cleansed John the Baptist of original sin was given to him in his mother's womb through the mediation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary's powerful influence allowed the infant John to enter into communion with Jesus. Mary's prayers for her children are always heard by her divine Son in Heaven, and she intercedes on behalf of all her children. John the Baptist leaped with joy in the womb in the presence of the Ark of the New Covenant, which represented Mary as the mediator of God's physical presence and grace on earth. Similarly, David danced with joy in the presence of the Ark of the Old Covenant.

n the same way that ancient Hebrews encountered God through his physical manifestation in the glory cloud (Shekinah), we meet Jesus Christ through his blessed mother, Mary. Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, just like the sanctuary, which housed the Ark, was overshadowed by the glory cloud, so that she could conceive the Son of God. This allowed Him to physically dwell among His people, fulfilling the promise made in Exodus 25:8 and 40:34-35. This is further emphasized in Luke 1:35 and John 1:14.

Gary G. Michuta, in his book Making Sense of Mary published by Grotto Press, uses Zechariah 2:10 to connect the verse with John 1:14. In the prophecy, God says, "I am coming to dwell among you." The author explains that the Greek word for "dwell" is "kataskenoso," which is derived from the root word "skene," meaning "tent" or "tabernacle." This refers to the portable tent or tabernacle that housed the Ark of the Covenant before Solomon built the Temple. In the Gospel of John (1:14), the Greek word for "dwelt" is "eskenosen," which is also derived from the root word "skene." So, the evangelist literally says, "The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us." This happened when Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and conceived our Lord. God's incarnated presence filled the temple of her body and the sanctuary of her womb, in which He personally dwelled and filled her with His glory as He had the Ark of the Covenant. Since Jesus comes to us through his blessed mother, Mary, we can come to him only through her. As the living Ark of the New Covenant, our Blessed Mother mediates the graces we need to tear down the walls or barriers in our souls that separate and keep us from God and the life of grace.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Through Mary's intercession, Jesus came to renew the world and overthrow the Prince of Darkness. Our Lord's mother played a vital role in bringing down the walls of Satan's dominion in the world. She physically carried in her pure womb the One who claimed, “The water that I will give him, shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life everlasting” (Jn 4:14), and through her mediation, He made His presence known. Jesus referred to the supernatural life we receive through Baptism, which raises us from spiritual death to eternal life. This life of grace was made possible by our Blessed Mother's merciful and charitable mediation. She brought the living Font of all saving grace into the world through the sacred tabernacle of her womb. The sound of Mary's Fiat ascended to God's heavenly throne like the sweet fragrance of a burnt sacrificial offering. "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word," she said.

God instructed Moses to build the Ark as a way for His people to connect with Him and receive his grace. The Ark represented two important beliefs: that God exists and that he is our savior. A thousand years later, God sent the angel Gabriel to an adolescent named Mary, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph. Mary was chosen to be the mother of Jesus Christ, who would establish a new and everlasting covenant with humanity. Mary was blessed to be drawn into this mystery and to play an important role in Christ's mission of redemption. Through Mary, we can connect with Jesus and receive his grace. She served as our advocate and queen mother throughout her life, from the moment she agreed to be the mother of the Lord to the moment she stood at the foot of the cross to make amends for humanity's sins. This role continues even after her dormition and Assumption into Heaven, as she continues to intercede for us until the end of time.

Indeed, God decreed by His consequent will that “all good should come to us through the hands of Mary.” God gave us this Mediatrix by “His most merciful Providence” (Pope Leo Xlll, Encyclical, Jucunda sempre). Our Lord and Saviour constituted her “Mother of Mercy, Queen, and a most loving advocate, Mediatrix of His graces, Dispenser of His treasures” (Pope Pius Xll, Radio Message to Fatima). ‘When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat down at his right hand. “I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.” The king replied, “Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you”’ (1 Kings 2:19-20).

Mary has received the office of Queen Mother and Advocatrix from God. As the royal mother of the King, she is intricately linked to Christ’s saving mysteries and the restoration of the Davidic kingdom, as foretold by the prophets (Luke 1:31-33). Mary, as our maternal advocate, presents our petitions to her Son for the graces we need to inherit the kingdom. We are not so much her subjects as we are her children, as she is the mother of our Head and Body, of which we are the members. Through her life, the Blessed Virgin Mary relates to us as a genuine mother should. It is important to note that Mary is not just a metaphor. “She (personally) teaches us all the virtues; she gives us her Son, and with Him, all the help that we need, for God has willed that we should have everything through Mary” ( Pope Pius Xll, Encyclical, Mediator Dei).

Our Lady of Guadalupe

In the book of Genesis, God said to the serpent that there will be enmity between him and the woman, between her offspring and his. He also prophesied that the woman would crush the serpent's head while he lay in wait for her heel. This happened after Adam and Eve fell from grace, and God promised to send Mary as the universal Mediatrix to help undo the fall of mankind in union with her Son. The Virgin Mary was chosen “before all ages, prepared for Himself by the Most High” to be the “Reparatrix of the first parents, the giver of life to posterity” (Pope Pius lX, Apostolic Constitution, Ineffabilis Deus). At the beginning of creation, at the time of the fall which God foresaw but permitted for the sake of a greater good, “Mary was set up as the pledge of restoration of peace (with God) and salvation” (Pope Leo Xlll Encyclical, Augustissimae).

Mary, the Immaculate Mother of the Church, is totally without sin and is ever-just before God. As our pre-eminent patroness, she is at enmity with the serpent. In a universal capacity, Mary helps repair the fall of mankind by giving her children a filial spirit through the graces they receive by her maternal intercession. She desires that we stop offending God and be reconciled to Him. Mary teaches us to be docile servants of God. She calls us to supplicate her for the graces to humble ourselves before God and abide in His love. Truly our heavenly mother, through her maternal patronage, we receive divine life if we, in a childlike spirit, turn towards God through her and be one with her divine offspring, born from her regenerating womb at enmity with the serpent and its offspring: wicked and sinful humanity.

According to Father Garrigou-Lagrange, a Catholic theologian, true devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is a sign that we are predestined to glory. As Christians, we have been predestined to grace and adopted as sons and daughters of God by partaking in divine life. By turning to the Immaculate Heart of our Blessed Mother for the actual graces we need to persevere in faith, we have a greater chance of attaining our salvation and realizing our hope. This is because her divine Son has ordered it this way. Mary prays for all of God's children in heaven, but she is particularly attentive to the spiritual needs of those who have been regenerated in Christ and humbly implore her intercession. Due to the principle of predilection, Jesus confers his graces upon us through his mother's intercession, from conversion and repentance to final perseverance.

The story of the prophet Elijah is a testament to the power of prayer. Elijah prayed fervently for three and a half years, asking God to stop the rain. His prayer was answered, and it did not rain for the entire duration of his prayer. Later, when Elijah prayed for rain to help the fruit harvest, his prayer was again answered. This shows that God hears the prayers of those who align their will with His. As Christians, we are encouraged to pray for the conversion of sinners so that they may be saved by the grace of God. The book of James (Jas 5:13-19) emphasizes the importance of prayer and its ability to heal and save.

In the order of grace, the Blessed Virgin Mary leads the way. By joining our prayers to God with hers and asking her to intercede for us, we can have confidence that our Lord will bestow an abundance of grace upon us from Heaven. This is because our Blessed Mother is holy with absolute perfection, as we continue to strive towards that heavenly perfection she has been graced with in our own pilgrimage of faith on earth. Mary has attained her salvation in a unique way: the redemption and glorification of her body in anticipation of ours, and she has received her eternal reward for her labor in Christ's vineyard. However, there is no guarantee that we will attain ours. Therefore, it's essential that we seek the moral assistance of our Blessed Mother, who has a far greater influence on her Son than we could ever hope to have in our fallen human state.

Christ has appointed his mother, Mary, as Our Lady of Perpetual Help. As such, the Church seeks her powerful intercession in Heaven. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the mediator of grace, and she took on her maternal responsibilities when the Church was born at Pentecost. She nurtured the infant Church in Jerusalem “by her holy example, her authoritative counsel, her sweet consolation, and her fruitful prayers”. She was in truth “the Mother of the Church and the Queen of Apostles” (Pope Leo Xlll, Encyclical, Ubri primum).

Jesus entrusted the Church to the tender care of his mother Mary, and the disciple John from the Cross was given the responsibility of looking after the entire human race (as mentioned in Jn 19:26-27). Mary's motherhood was redefined as she united her sorrow with the suffering of her beloved Son. Despite being smitten with great sorrow and having her heart pierced with a sword, she fervently prayed for sinful humanity. This was possible only because of the perfect love she had for her Son, who was unjustly "wounded for our transgressions." God accepted her prayers as they were joined with her Son's self-sacrifice for the expiation of our sins. Mary could become the mother of us all and reign as our Queen Mother with her Son, the King of Kings, only by suffering for the world's sins and dying to self together with Him (as mentioned in 2 Tim 2:11).

The sword that pierced the heart and soul of our Great Lady undid the vain and selfish desires that Eve had when she sought to be like God apart from Him and before Him. Through her sorrow, Mary repaired the damage that Eve had caused to God's satisfaction. Jesus would not have undone the consequences of Adam's pride unless His mother stood at the foot of the Cross and united her interior suffering with His suffering, as willed by the Father. “From this community of will and suffering between Christ and Mary, she merited to become most worthily the Reparatrix of the lost world and Dispensatrix of all the gifts that our Saviour purchased for us by His death and by His blood…By this union of sorrow and suffering which existed between the Mother and the Son, it has been allowed through the august Virgin to be the most powerful Mediatrix and advocate of the whole world with her divine Son” (Pope Pius X, Encyclical, Ad Diem illum).

Hence, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the “help of Christians” and the “refuge of mankind.” She is “triumphant in all battles” with the serpent as she fights against it with her children in their spiritual warfare. Given this cosmic battle between light and darkness, in which we are involved as descendants of Adam and Eve, we should humbly prostrate ourselves before the heavenly throne of our Queen Mother as her loyal suppliants, “confident that we shall obtain mercy and grace, the needed assistance and protection, during the calamities of these days…through the goodness of [her] motherly heart” (Pope Pius Xll, Radio Message).

The Blessed Virgin Mary is intimately associated with our Lord Jesus forever with infinite power and majesty, in virtue of her royal dignity as a daughter of King David and the mother of Christ the King in the New Dispensation of all the saving graces which flow from the redemption gained for us by her royal Son. This is all possible because “she gave us Jesus, Himself the source of grace.” Mary has been the mediatrix and dispensatrix of all graces since the Annunciation. Predestined to be the mother of our Lord, “she has been appointed the mediatrix of all the graces which look towards sanctification” in and through the merits of her divine Son (Pope Pius Xll, Apostolic Constitution, Sedes sepientiae).

Our Lady of Lourdes

All Christians who have been baptized and are in communion with the Vicar of Christ, whether alive or deceased, are considered members of the mystical Body of Christ. This includes both the heavenly church and the pilgrim church on earth. The Bible teaches us that all members of Christ's body are connected by mutual love (Jn 13:34-35; Rom 12:10, 13:8; Gal 5:13; Eph 4:2, 16:1, etc.). Christ himself has organized his body in such a way that all its members care for one another equally (1 Cor 12:25-27). Even death does not weaken the love that binds all the saints together in Christ's mystical Body (Rom 8:38-39). Christians who have passed away remain "in him" as living members of his body (Eph 2:5-7), and therefore they continue to be united with those who are still living on earth.

As connected members of Christ's Mystical Body, the saints in Heaven are able to express their love and concern for the pilgrim saints on earth through prayer. This requires an awareness of the needs of others and a communicative link with them. The saints in Heaven do not rely on physical senses or natural mental awareness, as they exist in God's eternal presence in real-time. They have a direct vision of Christ and the Beatific Vision of God, which enables them to intuit what the Lord knows. In this capacity, they are like Him in His glorified state and shared humanity (1 Jn 3:2). The saints in Heaven can intuit all that God knows about the saints or other beings on earth who are of concern, except what God knows about Himself. God reveals His knowledge to them so they can express their love for others on earth in the best way they can. To show concern for the spiritual welfare of the saints on earth, the saints in Heaven must know what concerns them. After all, we are all members of one mystical Body in Christ the Head and comprise the family of God as His adopted children.

Our Lady of Fatima

In the Book of Revelation, it is mentioned that the prayers of the saints, both on earth and in heaven, are presented to God by the angels and human saints in heaven. This signifies that all the saints pray for us and our well-being before God, and that our prayers on earth are joined with their prayers in heaven. Additionally, it is revealed that the martyred saints in heaven are crying out to God to avenge their blood on those who caused their death. This shows that the saints in heaven are aware of what is happening to the Church on earth and are praying for their loved ones and other members of the Body (Rev 5:8, 6:9-11; cf. Ps 35:1; 59:1-17; 139:19; Jer 11:20; 15:15; 18:19; Zech 1:12-13). The prayers for God's judgment on the persecutors are similar to the imprecatory prayers of the Jews in the Old Testament. Moreover, God hears and answers the intercessory prayers of the saints in heaven for their brothers and sisters in Christ who are being treated unfairly on earth, especially because of their faith (Rev 8:1-5).

The intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary is based on her maternal care for her Son, Jesus Christ. As we are members of Christ's body, we are also her sons and daughters. In Heaven, the Blessed Mother serves as the Queen Mother, with a throne located in the heavenly court to the right of our Lord and King's throne in the royal line of David (Mk 10:40). As our Queen Mother, Mary acts as our Mediatrix and Advocatrix, interceding for us by presenting our prayers to her Son. She cares for us with a maternal love that surpasses the love of all the other saints combined. Our Blessed Mother constantly prays for us with the most perfect and solicitous maternal love, being aware of our individual spiritual needs.

The saints who are on earth and seek salvation have a higher chance of growing in grace and persevering if they pray to their Queen Mother with true devotion. Our Lord and King Jesus Christ is aware of all our needs even before we present our petitions to him, whether it is directly or indirectly. We are part of the Body of Christ, and therefore, we must be aware of other members while praying. We should seek the intercession of our Blessed Queen Mother, who is the pre-eminent member of Christ’s Body and our Mother, to intercede for us. Our Lord Jesus desires that we, as stewards and ministers of grace, pray for one another with mutual and filial love, as we are all gifted members of God’s family (Eph 3:1-13, 4:7; 1 Pet 4:10).

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the most influential member of God's heavenly kingdom. She holds a supreme office in her Son's royal court, as mentioned by Peter and Paul. As the King's mother, she has a special place in His heart and can intercede for us. We can seek God's grace through Mary, and the pilgrim saints on earth will surely receive it. By petitioning the King through His Blessed Queen Mother, they will surely receive her loving maternal patronage. This pleases God, who will dispense His grace wherever it is needed in a human soul, especially for those who lack her spiritual perfection.

May he send you help from the sanctuary,
and give you support from Zion.
Psalm 20, 2

Early Sacred Tradition

“The Word will become flesh, and the Son of God the son of man –
the Pure One opening purely
that pure womb, which generates men unto God.”
– St. Irenaeus (A.D. 180-189)

“O Lady, cease not to watch over us; preserve and guard us under the wings
of your compassion and mercy, for, after God, we have no hope but in you!”
– St. Ephraem of Syria (c. A.D. 361)

“God has ordained that [Mary] should assist us in everything.”
– St, Basil the Great (A.D. 379)

“It was through a man and woman that flesh was cast from Paradise;
it was through a virgin that flesh was linked to God…
Eve is called the mother of the human race, but Mary Mother of salvation.”
– St. Ambrose of Milan (A.D. 397)

Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Pray for us!