This text is a summary of the ideas presented in the article "On Mary as Mediatrix of All Graces" by Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., taken from his monumental work "The Three Ages of the Interior Life". The following analysis seeks to preserve the depth and critical tone of the original, highlighting the traditionalist Catholic theological perspective on the indispensable role of the Blessed Virgin in the interior life.
⚠️ The Critical Error of Neglecting Marian Mediation
The author begins his exposition by pointing to a fundamental and dangerous error in the spiritual life, analogous to trying to achieve union with God without the mediation of Christ: the error of wanting to go to Our Lord without first going through Mary. This failure, he argues, is not exclusive to Protestants, but also affects Catholics who do not understand the need to turn to Mary to achieve intimacy with the Savior. The text forcefully criticizes a certain line of thought, quoting Blessed Grignion de Montfort, who speaks of “doctors who know the Mother of God only in a speculative, dry, sterile, and indifferent manner.” These individuals fear that devotion to the Virgin is an "abuse" and that by excessively honoring the Mother, the Son is offended. Such a mentality, far from being a zeal for Christ's honor, is seen by the author as a lack of humility, a refusal to accept the mediators that God, in His wisdom, has given us because of our fragility. The central thesis is that a true and deep devotion to Mary is not an obstacle, but, on the contrary, a path that greatly facilitates intimacy with Our Lord in prayer.
📖 The Meaning of Universal Mediation
To support his argument, the text draws on the doctrine of St. Thomas Aquinas about what it means to be a mediator. The Angelic Doctor states that the office of a mediator is to unite extremes. Christ is, pre-eminently, the “one and perfect Mediator of God and men,” for, through His death, He reconciled humanity with God. However, St. Thomas clarifies that nothing prevents others from being called mediators in a secondary and subordinate way, insofar as they “cooperate in uniting men to God, dispositively or ministerially.” Just as the prophets and priests of the Old Testament, the priests of the New Testament are ministerial mediators. In this context, Mary's mediation is presented as something of a higher order. Quoting St. Albert the Great, the text states that Mary was not chosen as a mere "minister," but to be associated in a "very special and intimate way in the work of the redemption of the human race." Her very status as Mother of God designates her for this function. She is infinitely below God as a creature, but immeasurably above all men by the grace of her Divine Maternity, which, in the words of Cajetan, “makes her reach the very frontiers of the Divinity,” and by the fullness of grace she received from her Immaculate Conception. Therefore, her title of Universal Mediatrix is not merely honorific but describes a function she has actually exercised and continues to exercise, consecrated by Tradition and the liturgy of the Church.
✝️ Ascending Mediation: Mary's Cooperation in the Sacrifice of the Cross
The first dimension of Mary's mediation is "ascending," that is, her cooperation in offering the redemptive sacrifice to God. This cooperation was not limited to Calvary but encompassed her entire life. It began with her free fiat at the Annunciation, a consent that, according to St. Thomas, God awaited as if it were the voice of all humanity. By giving her "yes," she gave us the Priest and the Victim of the sacrifice. It continued with the offering of her Son in the Temple, where, enlightened by Simeon's prophecy, she began to suffer deeply with Him upon hearing that a sword would pierce her soul. The pinnacle of this cooperation occurred at the foot of the Cross. There, standing, she united herself to her Son's sacrifice in an inexpressible way, both by way of satisfaction (reparation) and by way of merit. Pope Benedict XV is quoted to affirm that at Calvary, “she renounced her mother's rights over her Son for the salvation of all men.” She accepted and offered the martyrdom of Christ for us. Her charity, being incomparably superior to that of all the saints, allowed her to feel the depth of Christ's torments and to suffer for sin to a unique degree. The text theologically differentiates between the satisfaction of Christ and that of Mary. Christ satisfied for us in strict justice (de condigno), as His human acts possessed an infinite value derived from His Divine Person. Mary, in union with Him, satisfied for us not based on justice, but “on the rights of the friendship or infinite charity that united her to God” (de congruo). Likewise, all that Christ merited for us in strict justice, Mary merited it by a merit of fitness (de congruo). This doctrine, sanctioned by Pope Pius X, is based on the tradition that calls her the "New Eve," the spiritual mother of all men. The final scriptural proof is Christ's word on the Cross: “Woman, behold your son.” At that moment, St. John represented all humanity, and Mary was constituted as the true spiritual mother of all men, becoming, as Tradition affirms, the Co-Redemptrix, for with Christ, through Him, and in Him, she redeemed the human race.
🕊️ Descending Mediation: Mary Obtains and Distributes All Graces
The second dimension of her mediation is "descending": the distribution of all the graces that flow from the Redemption. As the spiritual mother of all men, she intercedes unceasingly for her children. Pope Leo XIII states that, “according to God's will, nothing is granted to us except through Mary,” and that just as no one can go to the Father except through the Son, “generally no one can approach Christ except through Mary.” The very prayer of the Church (lex orandi, lex credendi) confirms this truth. The Litany of Loreto invokes her as "Health of the sick, refuge of sinners, help of Christians," attributing to her the distribution of graces of all kinds. More pointedly, the Hail Mary prayer, with its plea "pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death," demonstrates the Church's faith in her intercession for the most particular and necessary grace: the grace of the present moment. The Scriptures also show Mary as a distributor of graces: through her, Jesus sanctified the Forerunner at the Visitation; through her intercession, He performed His first miracle at Cana; through her, He strengthened John's faith at Calvary; and with her in prayer, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles at Pentecost. After her Assumption, this function intensifies. In Heaven, she knows all our spiritual needs and, as an omnipotent-supplicant mother at the heart of her Son, she obtains all the graces we receive. She is therefore described as the "aqueduct of graces" and, in the Mystical Body, as the "virginal neck" that unites the Head (Christ) to its members. The practical conclusion is clear: for a fruitful interior life, prayer must begin with a filial and confident conversation with Mary, so that she may lead us to the intimacy of her Son, who is the only way to union with God.