Catholic Caucus: Mary, The Power of Her Name [The Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary]

Holy Wounds Apostolate ^ | unknown | Holy Wounds Apostolate

[Salvation]

The Holy Name of

Mary The Power of Her Name By St. Alphonsus de Liguori

	Richard of St. Laurence states "there is not such powerful help in any name, nor is there any other name given to men, after that of Jesus, from which so much salvation is poured forth upon men as from the name of Mary." He continues, "that the devout invocation of this sweet and holy name leads to the acquisition of superabundant graces in this life, and a very high degree of glory in the next."    After the most sacred name of Jesus, the name of Mary is so rich in every good thing, that on earth and in heaven there is no other from which devout souls receive so much grace, hope, and sweetness.    Hence Richard of St. Laurence encourages sinners to have recourse to this great name," because it alone will suffice to cure them of all their evils; and "there is no disorder, however malignant, that does not immediately yield to the power of the name of Mary." The Blessed Raymond Jordano says, "that however hardened and diffident a heart may be, the name of this most Blessed Virgin has such efficacy, that if it is only pronounced that heart will be wonderfully softened." Moreover, it is well known, and is daily experienced by the clients of Mary, that her powerful name gives the particular strength necessary to overcome temptations against purity.    In fine, "thy name, 0 Mother of God, is filled with divine graces and blessings," as St. Methodius says. So much so, that St. Bonaventure declares, "that thy name, 0 Mary, cannot be pronounced without bringing some grace to him who does so devoutly.". . grant, 0 Lady, that we may often remember to name thee with love and confidence; for this practice either shows the possession of divine grace, or else is a pledge that we shall soon recover it.    On the other hand, Thomas a Kempis affirms "that the devils fear the Queen of heaven to such a degree, that only on hearing her great name pronounced, they fly from him who does so as from a burning fire." The Blessed Virgin herself revealed to St. Bridget "that there is not on earth a sinner, however devoid he may be of the love of God, from whom the devil is not obliged immediately to fly, if he invokes her holy name with a determination to repent." On another occasion she repeated the same thing to the saint, saying, "that all the devils venerate and fear her name to such a degree, that on hearing it they immediately loosen the claws with which they hold the soul captive." Our Blessed Lady also told St. Bridget, "that in the same way as the rebel angels fly from sinners who invoke the name of Mary, so also do the good angels approach nearer to just souls who pronounce her name with devotion." Promises    Consoling indeed are the promises of help made by Jesus Christ to those who have devotion to the name of Mary; for one day in the hearing of St. Bridget, He promised His most holy Mother that He would grant three special graces to those who invoke that holy name with confidence: first, that He would grant them perfect sorrow for their sins; secondly, that their crimes should be atoned for; and, thirdly, that He would give them strength to attain perfection, and at length the glory of paradise. And then our Divine Savior added: "For thy words, 0 My Mother, are so sweet and agreeable to Me, that I cannot deny what thou askest."    St. Ephrem goes so far as to say, "that the name of Mary is the key of the gates of heaven," in the hands of those who devoutly invoke it. And thus it is not without reason that St. Bonaventure says "that Mary is the salvation of all who call upon her." "0 most sweet name! 0 Mary, what must thou thyself be, since thy name alone is thus amiable and gracious," exclaims Blessed Henry Suso.    Let us, therefore, always take advantage of the beautiful advice given us by St. Bernard, in these words: "In dangers, in perplexities, in doubtful cases, think of Mary, call on Mary; let her not leave thy lips; let her not depart from thy heart." Names of Jesus and Mary    In every danger of forfeiting divine grace, we should think of Mary, and invoke her name, together with that of Jesus; FOR THESE TWO NAMES ALWAYS GO TOGETHER. 0, then, never let us permit these two most sweet names to leave our hearts, or be off our lips; for they will give us strength not only not to yield, but to conquer all our temptations.    "The invocation of the sacred names of Jesus and Mary," says Thomas a Kempis, "is a short prayer which is as sweet to the mind, and as powerful to protect those who use it against the enemies of their salvation, as it is easy to remember." Hour of Death    Thus we see that the most holy name of Mary is sweet indeed to her clients during life, on account of the very great graces that she obtains for them. But sweeter still will it be to them in death, on account of the tranquil and holy end that it will insure them.    Let us then, 0 devout reader, beg God to grant us, that at death the name of Mary may be the last word on our lips. This was the prayer of St. Germanus: "May the last movement of my tongue be to pronounce the name of the Mother of God;" 0 sweet, 0 safe is that death which is accompanied and protected by so saying a name; for God only grants the grace of invoking it to those whom He is about to save.    Father Sertorius Caputo, of the Society of Jesus, exhorted all who assist the dying frequently to pronounce the name of Mary; for this name of life and hope, when repeated at the hour of death, suffices to put the devils to flight, and to comfort such persons in their sufferings.    "Blessed is the man who loves thy name, 0 Mary" exclaims St. Bonaventure. "Yes, truly blessed is he who loves thy sweet name, 0 Mother of God! for," he continues, "thy name is so glorious and admirable, that no one who remembers it has any fears at the hour of death." Such is its power, that none of those who invoke it at the hour of death fear the assaults of their enemies.    St. Camillus de Lellis urged the members of his community to remind the dying often to utter the holy names of Jesus and Mary. Such was his custom when assisting people in their last hour.    Oh, that we may end our lives as did the Capuchin Father, Fulgentius of Ascoli, who expired singing, "0 Mary, 0 Mary, the most beautiful of creatures! let us depart together."     Let us conclude with the tender prayer of St. Bonaventure:    "I ask thee, 0 Mary, for the glory of thy name, to come and meet my soul when it is departing from this world, and to take it in thine arms." Copies of “MARY THE POWER OF HER NAME” available in leaflet form from: Holy Wounds Apostolate, Inc.

[biblewonk]

The Church teaches it, she who is the fountainhead and wellspring of the Bible--its author, its compiler, its editor, its publisher, and its official interpreter.

So the bible doesn't teach it. It's not in there at all. I certainly don't see the bible saying that the Church is it's author. That's like saying Mary created God.

I think you've been around these threads long enough to know that we entirely reject the notion that every single article of the faith *must be explicitly taught* in the Bible. "The pillar and foundation of all truth" for the Christian is not Holy Scripture, it is the Church, as 1st Timothy says.

So you can teach whatever you want as long as it has a stamp on it from Rome? I don't see that idea in the bible at all either.

[armydoc]

It appears that you skipped the first two paragraphs: Richard of St. Laurence states "there is not such powerful help in any name, nor is there any other name given to men, after that of Jesus, from which so much salvation is poured forth upon men as from the name of Mary." He continues, "that the devout invocation of this sweet and holy name leads to the acquisition of superabundant graces in this life, and a very high degree of glory in the next." After the most sacred name of Jesus, the name of Mary is so rich in every good thing, that on earth and in heaven there is no other from which devout souls receive so much grace, hope, and sweetness.

So why would Richard of St. Laurence contradict himself by clearly saying in the third paragraph that Mary's name ALONE will suffice to cure sinners of all their evils?

[murphE]

Oh, so it is a sin now to compare Mary to gift wrapping?

Do you think it pleases Our Lord to insult His mother?

Seriously if you are sincere in wanting to love and serve Our Lord, what have you got to lose by asking Him to give you His heart with which to love His mother? If you ask sincerely I am sure that He would not deny you that grace.

[Claud]

I certainly don't see the bible saying that the Church is it's author.

I gotta dumb question for you. Who wrote the New Testament?

[armydoc]

Where does Richard of St. Laurence say that Christ's name won't do something that Mary's name will?

Where he says, in the third paragraph, "because it (Mary's name) alone will suffice to cure them of all their evils". It seems to me that "alone" is quite intentional.

[Claud]

So you can teach whatever you want as long as it has a stamp on it from Rome? I don't see that idea in the bible at all either.

That one is. Rome through Peter: "what you bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven.". Gates of hell not prevailing and all that.

You've been on these threads long enough, you know the drill. :)

[biblewonk]

I gotta dumb question for you. Who wrote the New Testament?

God.

[Pyro7480]

Who determined it was divinely-inspired?

[Pyro7480]

That doesn't answer my question.

[biblewonk]

Who determined it was divinely-inspired?

God knew it was when He wrote it and said so within it.

[Pyro7480]

I mean, the individual books. There were a lot of "Gospels" and epistles being circulated in the early years of Christianity. How did Christians determine what was divinely-inspired and what wasn't?

[biblewonk]

I mean, the individual books. There were a lot of "Gospels" and epistles being circulated in the early years of Christianity. How did Christians determine what was divinely-inspired and what wasn't?

The Bible/Word of God was written by God, period. There is no over arching authority over God's Word.

[armydoc]

That doesn't answer my question.

a·lone
adj. Being apart from others; solitary. Being without anyone or anything else; only. Considered separately from all others of the same class. Being without equal; unique.
adv. Without others: sang alone while the choir listened. Without help: carried the suitcases alone. Exclusively; only: The burden of proof rests on the prosecution alone.

In the present example, the possibilities are that Mary's name is sufficient without the help of Christ or that her name exclusively performs that function; no other name is capable. Do you have another interpretation?

[Claud]

Of course God wrote it ultimately. But who physically *wrote out* God's words, in Greek, out on the parchments that got copied, recopied and passed around in the ancient Christian world?

[ArrogantBustard]

Claud: I gotta dumb question for you. Who wrote the New Testament?
BW: God.

That's a mohammedan, or mormon approach to scripture.

It is not at all Christian (or even Jewish). There's a huge world of difference between "God wrote it" and "God inspired human authors when they wrote it". With the exception of the commandments on Mt. Sinai, the Bible was written by a variety of human authors, all enlightened and protected from error by God.

[biblewonk]

It is not at all Christian (or even Jewish). There's a huge world of difference between "God wrote it" and "God inspired human authors when they wrote it". With the exception of the commandments on Mt. Sinai, the Bible was written by a variety of human authors, all enlightened and protected from error by God.

Semantics.

[Claud]

Where he says, in the third paragraph, "because it (Mary's name) alone will suffice to cure them of all their evils". It seems to me that "alone" is quite intentional.

That may be a bad translation, but even if it isn't, it's clear that Richard of St. Laurence didn't hold to that "alone" in any absolute sense. Otherwise why would he say this is paragraph 1:

"there is not such powerful help in any name, nor is there any other name given to men, after that of Jesus."

You could add "the Holy Ghost" and "God" as well. Assuming the "alone" not a bad translation, I would just say that Richard's pen got ahead of his brain on this one. Anyone who claims that Mary's glory is in any way higher than Christ's is a heretic, plain and simple. Even Catholic theologians would make mincemeat out of such a statement.

[ArrogantBustard]

Hardly.

[biblewonk]

Totally.

[ArrogantBustard]

I seriously hope that you are not claiming, for example, that God picked up a pen and parchment, wrote a letter to the Romans, and signed Paul's name to it.

I seriously hope that you are not claiming, for example, that one day in the First Century AD God miraculously caused Bibles, fully bound, to appear on every Christian's living-room table.

Such claims directly contradict the epistles and Gospels. Somebody (human) wrote all those histories, prophecies, letters, and visions. Somebody else (human) went through a process of vetting them, sorting out what was Divinely Inspired and what was not. That various human somebodies had Divine guidance and protection in their endeavours doesn't negate that the human somebodies were involved.

I suppose I shouldn't find your odd disinterest in the origins of the Bible surprising (you've made it clear in the past) but it's still sad.