God always hears the Blessed Mother's prayers...

How the life of a Catholic would be somber were it not for the Virgin's protection.

On Saturday, I was praying in Church, when an elderly gentleman came in and sat down in front of the Blessed Sacrament to pray for a few minutes.

I was struck by the pious way he prayed, and started to wonder: "Does he pray to God directly, or does he go through Our Lady?"

This thought got the best of me.  So, when the man left church, I followed him outside and handed him a picture of Our Lady of Fatima, like the one above.  I said: "When we pray through Our Lady, God's hears our prayers more readily. Would you like a picture of Our Lady to help you?"

He looked at me rather surprised.  He accepted the picture well enough.  But his expression was of someone who was not accustomed to praying with Our Lady in mind.  It was as if I had said something in Chinese to him.  He nodded his head and then walked slowly to his car with the picture in his hand.

I thought, "I bet there are lots of people like him who pray without realizing how we must ask God through Our Lady's intercession."

And that is why I am posting the article below about the omnipotence of Our Lady's intercession.   I hope you will enjoy it.

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Our Lady's Intercession

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

In an act of His infinite goodness, the Incarnation of the Word in the most pure bosom of Mary, God created the links that bound Himself to mankind. And Mary, becoming His Mother, likewise became the spiritual Mother of all men.

Thus, when she petitions her Divine Son for us, it is as a mother who intercedes with one of her sons on behalf of his brother. It is impossible not to attend her.

Because of this, theologians attribute to Our Lady the title "Suppliant Omnipotence." By virtue of her unfathomable perfections, God always hears her prayers on our behalf, and she obtains from Him what we could not merit by ourselves.

An example will illustrate this truth.

Imagine a mother who has two sons. One, upright and honest, serves as a judge; the other is simply a criminal, whom his brother is going to judge.

What happens then?

The mother appeals to her son the magistrate, saying, "My son, I know that you are the judge and that to you falls the administration of justice. Your brother's wrongdoings are such as to deserve the death penalty. In truth, however, you, O judge, equally owe me your life. Spare this man who merits capital punishment, in compliance with the requests of her who gave you birth.

What son would refuse such an affectionate request?

The intercession of Mary on behalf of sinful humanity is similar to this. And since she is the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, He concedes her everything that the best of sons can give the best of mothers.

Such is the value of Our Lady's intercession that, according to the teaching of theology, all the prayers of all creatures must be presented to her adorable Son through her, for thus has the Divine Will disposed.

This is the Mother of indescribable sweetness, of unlimited compassion towards her miserable sons, for whom she obtains of the Judge pardon and graces.

How many examples attest to this untiring solicitude of Mary towards men!

Amongst others, one may take the example of the Good Thief. The Divine Crucified, attending the supplications of His Mother at the foot of the Cross, pardoned him at the final hour with that stupendous promise: "Today, thou shalt be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43).

One thus understands the importance of Our Lady's intercession, relieving our arduous existence and filling our souls with jubilation.

How the life of a Catholic would be somber were it not for the Virgin's protection.

On the contrary, how light it is, how full of hope, pardon, and maternal affection with the continuous assistance of Mary, the Omnipotent Supplicant!

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(Crusade, Sept-Oct 1996, from a conference on September 21, 1991)