Mary, cooperator in our salvation
"She is like a merchant's ship that brings sustenance from afar" (Pr 31:14). Mary is that fortunate ship that brought us Jesus Christ from heaven to earth,
living bread, who came down from heaven to give us eternal life, as he himself says: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; whoever eats of this bread will live forever" (Jn 6:51-52).
(Jn 6:51-52).
This is why Richard of St. Lawrence says that in the sea of the world are lost every year those who do not find themselves inside this ship protected by
Mary. And he adds: "As soon as we see the waves of this sea become rough, we must cry out to Mary: 'Our Lady, save us, for we perish! Whenever we see ourselves in danger of being lost to temptations and evil passions, we must have recourse to Mary, crying out: "Quickly, Mary, help us, save us if you do not want us to be lost".
lost".
Note that this author does not scruple to say to Mary: "Save us, for we perish," as the author so often refuted has difficulty in doing so, who
He claims to forbid us to tell Our Lady to save us, for he says that saving is God's business alone. But if a person condemned to death can ask a favorite of the king
to save his life by interceding with the prince, why should we not be able to ask the Mother of God to save us by asking for the grace of eternal life?
St. John Damascene had no difficulty in saying to the Virgin: "Immaculate and pure Queen, save me, deliver me from eternal damnation". St. Bonaventure called Mary: "O salvation of those who invoke you
Mary: "O salvation of those who invoke you!" The holy Church approves of our calling her "health of the sick". And should we scruple to ask her to save us, when, as we
to save us, since, as one author says, the gates of salvation are opened to no one but through her? St. Germain had said it before: "No one is saved except by
you"; and he was referring to Mary.
But let us see what other saints say about the need we have for the intercession of the Mother of God. The glorious St. Cajetan used to say that we can
seek grace, but we will not obtain it without the intercession of Mary. And St. Antoninus confirms it saying with a beautiful expression: "He who asks without her, tries to fly without wings". He who asks and pretends to obtain graces without the intercession of Mary pretends to fly without wings; because, as Pharaoh said to Joseph: "In your hand is the land of Egypt" (Gen 47:6); and as he said to all those who came to him for help: "Go to Joseph and ask him for help" (Gen 47:6), he said to them: "Go to him and ask him for help" (Gen 47:6).
and as he said to all those who turned to him for help: "Go to Joseph", so when we ask him for grace, God sends us to Mary: "Go to Mary". For he has decreed, says St. Bernard, that he will not grant
no grace except by the hand of Mary.
For what Richard of St. Lawrence says:
"Our salvation is in Mary's hands so that we Christians can say to her much better than the Egyptians said to Joseph: Our salvation is in her hand.
in her hand". The same says the venerable Idiot: "Our salvation is in her hand". And the same, even more vigorously, Cassian: "The whole salvation of the world depends on the innumerable favors of God.
depends on the innumerable favors of Mary". He who is protected by Mary is saved; he who is not protected is lost. St. Bernardine of Siena tells her: "Lady, since you are the dispenser of all graces and the grace of salvation can only come to us from your hand, this means that our salvation depends on you."
The Glories of Mary
St. Alphonsus