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Necessity of the Blessed Virgin and of Devotion to Her

by Rev. Fr. Brendan Hughes, CMRI

Originally published in The Reign of Mary, No. 138 (Spring 2010)

By this devotion we freely surrender ourselves into Our Lady’s care so as to become totally dependent. It is a total consecration, or a true devotion to Mary, by which we freely give ourselves completely into her service without demanding recompense. Thus, we are compared to slaves in a benign sense of the term.

This devotion is a perfect imitation of the example of Christ, Who, as an Infant, chose to become totally dependent upon her maternal solicitude. In imitation of Christ we surrender ourselves to her care, becoming totally dependent upon her spiritual maternal solicitude, just as Christ was dependent upon her physical maternal care. What do we mean by saying that we surrender ourselves to her spiritual maternal care? By this we understand that Mary is our spiritual mother, given us by Christ from the Cross: “Woman, behold thy son” (John 19:26). Each of us is represented by St. John as Christ declares: “Behold thy Mother” (John 19:27).

Now if all the faithful are given into her spiritual care, what more do we do by this total consecration? It is true that all the faithful are entrusted by Christ to her general maternal solicitude, but we desire to show our appreciation for her care by totally surrendering ourselves, along with our abilities, talents and spiritual treasures. Thus, we entrust ourselves to her keeping that she may protect us and augment our spiritual riches to bring about even greater glory for God. Now these spiritual treasures which we entrust to Our Lady are our prayers and good works.

To understand this devotion, therefore, we need to understand that prayers and good works bring merit in two separate ways. First, there is the meritorious value. This is the degree of glory in heaven according to the holiness which we attain during our time of probation in this life. In addition to this meritorious value, there is the atoning value of  prayer and good works. This atoning, or satisfactory, value supplies for the satisfaction required for our sins. This value satisfies the debt we may otherwise be required to expiate in Purgatory.

A few examples will help us understand this twofold value of our prayers. We often pray for the faithful departed. Now since you are saying the prayer, you merit a higher degree of glory in heaven. This degree of merit is yours by right. You cannot request of God that this higher degree of merit be given to another soul. But what you do ask of God is that, in His mercy, He apply the satisfactory value of your prayer to the departed loved one. This is precisely what we do in gaining an indulgence for the Holy Souls. You earn a higher degree of merit in heaven; this is yours and cannot be given to another. But you request God to apply the satisfactory value of your prayer to a poor soul. The suffering soul in purgatory does not gain a higher degree of glory in heaven; rather, the soul benefits by sooner arriving at heavenly bliss.

Some indulgences are applicable only to the Holy Souls. Indulgences are granted by the Church from her endless spiritual treasury. To correctly understand indulgences we need to remember that all prayers and good works have two separate spiritual values ­ an increase of merit in heaven and a satisfactory value for sin.

But there were many individuals who lived such holy lives that they merited more satisfactory value than their past sins required. Consider a saint whose holiness of life merits immediate entry to heaven. Not only has the saint already atoned for any personal sins, but his or her exemplary holiness has merited an abundance of atoning value for sin. The saint receives the degree of glory merited in heaven, but what becomes of the atoning value of prayers and good works? Is this surplus of satisfactory value simply lost? Is it simply dropped from one’s spiritual account like a fraction of interest in a bank account? No, in God’s plan for the salvation and sanctification of men there is no spiritual waste. The satisfactory value of prayer and good works which was not needed by such a holy individual accumulates in the spiritual treasury of the Church. We might think of it as the Church’s spiritual bank account. This spiritual treasury of the Church is drawn upon without depletion since it contains not only the surplus satisfactory value of the saints, but also the satisfactory value of Our Lady, who had no need of personal atonement since she was without sin. Indeed, the Church’s spiritual treasury is infinite in satisfactory value,  since it draws from Christ’s atonement upon Calvary.

By total consecration to Mary we give her the satisfactory value of our prayers and good works to use as she chooses. We have such confidence in her maternal solicitude that we know she will keep them safe for us. Moreover, they will be of much greater atoning value before God since they are placed at her disposal. Our prayers and good works still merit for us a higher degree of glory in heaven, but we entrust to her all atoning value. We allow her to dispense this satisfactory value of our prayers as she freely chooses. We have such confidence in her maternal care as spiritual mother of all the faithful, that we know she will make the most profitable use of the satisfactory merits of our prayers.

She might apply this merit to relieve the sufferings of a poor soul in purgatory, or to assist a departing soul to pass from life in God’s grace. Perhaps a sinner will be converted or a soul brought to the knowledge of the Faith. Since she was given by Christ that role of spiritual maternity, she knows best the needs of souls, and so will make the greatest profit from the satisfactory value of our good works.

Thus, in becoming entirely dependent spiritually upon our Blessed Mother we give greater honor to God in showing the greatest confidence in her, whom He gave us as mother. In a spiritual sense we make ourselves so dependent upon her gracious care that we may be compared to slaves. For at our judgement we will find ourselves totally impoverished. We will have no satisfactory value to show from our lives but will be poor as slaves who, unlike paid servants, work without recompense. In life we permitted her to dispense the satisfactory value of our prayers, and so we will then have nothing left with which to atone for our own sins.

By this total consecration we are so trusting upon her care that we strip ourselves of all satisfactory benefits. Nothing is withheld whereby to offer atonement for our own sins at our judgment. If this frightens one from taking the total consecration, then such an individual does not yet have the trusting devotion to Mary that St. Louis Marie de Montfort requires.

It is impossible that one who has been totally dedicated to increasing God’s honor by practicing this total dependence upon the Mother whom Christ has given us from the Cross will regret his consecration to Mary at his own judgment. To imagine that such a soul would be left to suffer in purgatory, abandoned by our Blessed Mother, would not only be an insult to her, but would show terrible distrust in the very mercy and goodness of God. Indeed, it is impossible that such a one, having given to Mary the satisfactory value of his prayers and good works to assist other souls at her pleasure, would be left abandoned in purgatory. Rather, in reward for his generosity to her, such a dedicated soul may have the greatest confidence that the satisfactory value needed for the atoning of his sins will be supplied by Mary’s intercessory power, given her by God.

Imagine having entrusted all your spiritual treasures into the care of the Mother of God that she might invest these so as to bring about the greatest increase of God’s glory. Then at your own judgment you find yourself impoverished, since you have given all to Mary rather than retaining your satisfactions for your own disposal. Certainly, we will not on that account have a severe judgment, for we will have gained an advocate in the Mother of the Judge. And when our accounting is heard we may confidently look up and trust in her intercession.