full of grace" (Nemo est, O sanctissima, qui salvus fiat nisi per te, Dei parens; nemo liber a periculo nisi per te, Virgo Mater; nemo donum Dei suscipit nisi per te gratiâ plena).1

The words of S. Ildefonsus, the great Bishop of Toledo, are no less clear than those of the Patriarch of Constantinople: "O Mary," he cries, "all the blessings which the Divine Majesty has determined to bestow upon men, He has been pleased to place in thy hands, so that all the treasures and gifts of grace have been intrusted to thee" (Omnia bona quæ illis summa Majestas decrevit facere, tuis manibus voluit commendare; commissi quippe sunt tibi thesauri et ornamenta gratiarum).2

Cassian had before him expressed the same thought, and feared not to affirm that the salvation of the whole world lies in Mary's maternal charity and multitude of graces: Tota salus mundi consistit in multitudine favoris Maria. S. Fulgentius, in his turn, shows Mary to be inseparably united with the mediation of Jesus Himself: Facta est Maria scala cœlestis, quia per ipsam Deus descendit ad terras, ut per ipsam homines ascendere mererentur ad cœlos ("Mary is the ladder to heaven; for by her God descended to earth, and by her men ascend to heaven").4

Lastly, unless God had decreed the universal mediation of the second Eve, S. Augustine could never have invoked Mary as the only hope of sinners: Spes unica peccatorum,5 nor S. Chrysostom, as the advocate who obtains the pardon of our sins: Per hunc peccatorum veniam consequimur 6 nor S. Ephrem, as our only hope: Nobis non est alia fiducia quàm ad te Virgo sincerissima.

If there be any one thing certain, it is that the belief in the suppliant and universal mediation of Mary has been the belief of all those great men whom the Church has regarded in different ages as her most faithful children, and as the truest organs of all her teaching. Now, I ask,

In Dorm. Deip., Serm. 2. 3 Apud S. Alp. Esp., Salve 4 De Laud. B.V.

6 Offic. B.MV. per Annunt.

2 De Cor. Virg., c. 15.
Regina.

5 Serm. 194, App. E.B.
? De Laudibus Dei Genitricis.

if this belief had contained the shadow of an error contrary to faith-if it had been in the slightest degree open to reprehension would the Church have tolerated it thus long and thus continuously? Have we not seen that, if error speaks though but by a single mouth, the Church does not keep silence, but protests, warns, threatens, and condemns? Her prolonged silence, as we have seen, would suffice to authorise the teaching of a succession of great men and of great saints. But the Church does not only authorise by her silence their belief in the universal mediation of Mary; she declares it to be blameless, and professes it herself.

She declares it to be blameless; for works in which this belief is laid down, explained, defended, and vindicated as it is, for example, in those of S. Alphonsus -have been declared free from blame by the Holy See.

It is true, to be held blameless in this sense, it is sufficient that a doctrine should contain nothing against faith and morals; but when a doctrine is held by a multitude of Saints and holy men without being opposed by equivalent authorities, or without being opposed at all, except by a few isolated voices here and there of those who have misunderstood it, it is evident that such a doctrine becomes certain, especially when it is consecrated by the language of the Church herself.

Now, the doctrine in question has been thus consecrated. It is impossible on any other belief to explain the prayers which the Church addresses to Mary alone in her public offices. Has she ever said to Saint, Angel, Archangel, to the whole society of Saints, or to the united choirs of Angels, what she says to Mary, and as she says it to Mary, when she addresses to her those general invocations which ask all things for all men ?" Health of the sick, refuge of sinners, comforter of the afflicted, help of Christians" (Salus, refugium, consolatio, auxilium).1 Has she ever said to any other creature whomsoever, on earth or in heaven, Succurre cadenti surgere qui curat populo2 ("Help 1 Litan, Loret. 2 Antiph. post Compl.

thou thy tottering people, and be thou their strength") ? Has she ever said to any other but Mary: "Thou art not only the root of all blessing, the gate from whence the light hath issued forth for us" (Salve radix, salve porta ex quá mundo lux est orta),1 "but thou remainest ever the gate of heaven for us" (Quæ pervia cœli porta manes) ?2 How could Mary be the gate of heaven to us, unless all the graces which conduct us thither were granted to us through the prayers of her motherly love? Is not the same belief in the universality of Mary's intercession the inspiration of the Salve Regina? "Children of Eve, exiles from our country," says the Church to the second Eve, the Mother of mercy, "to thee do we cry from the depth of this valley of tears, for thou art our life, our hope, our consolation" (Mater misericordiæ vita, dulcedo, spes nostra, salve). "Cast thy compassionate eyes upon us, and after this our exile show us Jesus, the blessed Fruit of thy womb" (Illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte, et Jesum benedictum fructum ventris tui nobis post hoc exilium ostende). Once more have we ever heard the Church say to any but Jesus and His Mother, "Thou art our life, our hope"? Assuredly not; and why? Because Jesus Christ alone is the Source of grace, and Mary alone is its universal channel by her prayer as the Mother of God and the Mother of men-the true Mother of man's new life.

Prayer.

Yes, this is thine office, blessed Mary; and my consolation is increased and my gratitude towards God redoubled by the conviction that this belief, which I have seen to be so beautiful, so sublime, so fully in harmony with the whole order of redemption,3 is a certainty, because it is the belief of the Church itself.

What must be thy happiness, O most loving of mothers, in having thus a share by thy prayers and thy love in all the gifts which God bestows on thy children! 2 Ibid. 3 Ch. xii., supra.

1 Antiph. post Compl.

And what a happiness it is to me to know that I have never received, nor ever shall receive, any grace which thy maternal and virginal heart has not contributed to obtain for me!

Now that I know thee better, I will think of thee as thou dost think of me, and, after the example of holy Church, I will begin and end all my prayers with a word of love and confidence addressed to thy Mother's heart. I shall thus faithfully observe the order established by God for the diffusion of His gifts, since I shall no longer forget by whose prayer all ours are perfected and offered unto Him. The confidence that I shall be heard will also increase in my soul, because my poor prayers, being mingled with thine, will become allpowerful in their weakness. I will say, "Hail, Mary, full of grace;" and the poorer I feel myself to be, the greater shall be my hope in thy abundance, because thou art my Mother, and because there is no mother whose tenderness and compassion equals thine. And then, when the sight of my sins troubles me and tempts me to despair-when the long array of my infidelity and ingratitude rises to discourage me I will remember that thou art the advocate of the whole human race, that thou carest for the vilest and most unworthy, and that God has appointed thee to intercede for all; and I will say to thee, with S. Thomas of Villanova: Eia ergo advocata nostra, officium tuum imple ("Sweet advocate of sinners, fulfil thy merciful office").

Lastly, when I am sad at the thought of my slothfulness in the service of God and my neighbour, and tremble at the memory of the souls which I have not aided, which I have not raised, which I have not supported, which I have not edified, which I have perhaps scandalised, I will say to myself that God beheld beforehand the tears which I now shed, and that thou, my Mother, who art in the enjoyment of the light of God Himself, who beholdest face to face Him Who beholdeth all things, and before Whom all time is but a point, didst then offer

to Him my prayers of to-day for those poor souls and for my own, imploring mercy for us all: 0 Domine, quia filius Ancillæ tuæ !

CHAPTER XIV.

THE CULTUS OF MARY.

The cultus of hyperdulia-Tokens of this cultus in the sanctuaries, offices, and festivals of the Church.

I. By cultus (or worship) in general we understand the honour which is paid to any person by reason of a certain perfection or superiority belonging to him in power, dignity, or merit.

We must distinguish between the civil cultus and the religious or sacred cultus.

The cultus is civil when the greatness or superiority of its object is simply human or natural.

The cultus is religious, or sacred, when the superiority of its object is supernatural.

Both the civil and the sacred cultus may be either absolute or relative. The cultus is absolute when it is paid to a person on account of his own excellence or superiority; as that, for instance, which is paid to a king on account of his royal dignity.

The cultus is relative when it is paid to a person or a thing, not on account of its own excellence, but on account of that which is represented by that person or thing. Thus a legate, an envoy, or an ambassador receives civil homage on account of the power which he represents. Thus also we pay honour to the statues of princes, heroes, and celebrated men, and a religious honour to the images and relics of the Saints, the image of Mary, the cross, or the image of Jesus Christ, on account of the excellence or supernatural perfection of the Saints, the sublime dignity of Mary, and the Divine Majesty of Jesus.