Mary and Jesus are so close, St. Alphonsus insists, that the Devil can’t get rid of the Son in someone’s life unless he gets rid of the mother as well. The Devil does his utmost with sinners, so that, after they have lost the grace of God, they may also lose devotion to Mary. When Sarah saw Isaac in company with his half-brother Ishmael, who was teaching him evil habits, she wanted Abraham to drive away both Ishmael and his mother, Hagar (see Gn 21:10).
She was not satisfied with having the son turned out of the house, but insisted on having the mother go also. Otherwise, she thought, a son, coming to see his mother, would continue to frequent the house.
In a similar way, the Devil is not satisfied with a soul casting out Jesus Christ, unless it also casts away his mother: “Cast out this woman with her Son.” Otherwise, he fears, the mother will again, by her intercession, bring back her Son. “And his fears are well grounded,” says the learned scholar Angeli Pacciuchelli; “for the one who is faithful in serving the Mother of God will soon receive God himself by means of his devotion to Mary.”
What St. Bernard says is certainly true: “Neither the power nor the will to save us can be lacking to Mary.” The power cannot be lacking, for it’s impossible that her prayers should not be heard; as St. Antoninus says, “It is impossible that a Mother of God should pray in vain.” Neither can the will to save us be lacking, for Mary is our mother, and she desires our salvation more than we can desire it ourselves.
Since, then, this is the case, how can it be possible for someone who turns to Mary to be lost? He may be a sinner. But if he entrusts himself to this good mother with perseverance and the intention to change, she will undertake to gain for him light to abandon his wicked state, sorrow for his sins, perseverance in virtue, and in the end, a good death. —St. Alphonsus Liguori, The Glories of Mary IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER…
How many people do I know who developed a lively relationship with God through a devotion to Mary? When my devotion to Mary fades, do I find my relationship with God weakening?
CLOSING PRAYER: From a prayer of St. Andrew of Candia: Holy Virgin, grant me the help of your prayers with God—prayers that stymy my enemies, confound their strategies, and triumph over their strength.
