MARY, OUR MOTHER

OUR LADY'S VISITATION AND THE BAPTIST

3. Through Mary.

A thousand times should we repeat these words. Whatever was achieved in the Precursor and in all souls is done through Mary. She appears here for the first time as the instrument of the wonders of God, performing Her most high mission of Mediatrix of all graces. The first ransom of the soul of St. John is achieved with Mary and through Mary. At the sound of Her voice, at the very moment She addresses Her cousin, neither before nor after, but only then, this first liberation of a soul from the power of the devil is performed. We would say that Her words are a sentence of pardon, or a declaration of victory over Satan. The Lord could have achieved this sanctification in a hidden and silent way, but He wanted to reveal the power and the mission of His Son Who was coming to save the world whilst at the same time He wanted to introduce Mary as the Mediatrix of the grace of sanctification and salvation.

Jesus will always be the source-spring, but Mary is the channel through which this stream of grace flows into our souls.

St. John the Baptist was, therefore, a child of Mary by grace. like him as all saintly souls have been we also must be children of Mary. When shall we have a practical conviction that we shall become saints only in the measure of our love and imitation of Our Heavenly Mother? Ask St. John the baptist to intercede for you so that he may be not only the Precursor of Jesus but also the Forerunner of Mary.

[Excerpted from 'MARIAN MEDITATIONS' Book by Rev. Dr. Ildefonso R. Villar, Salesian Philippine Province, Nihil Obstat; Imprimatur]