Part eight (*), Chapter V11: Heart of Mary, Treasure-house of: Gratuitous Graces

Heart of Mary, Treasure-house of

Gratuitous Graces

THE Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin is the sanctuary of gratuitous graces, by which are meant graces imparted by the Holy Ghost not so much for the sanctification of the recipient as for the instruction, comfort and benefit of other souls.

St. Paul enumerates nine such graces: the gift of speaking wisely; the gift of speaking with knowledge; the gift of faith; the power of healing the sick; the gift of miracles; the gift of prophecy; the gift of speaking in diverse tongues; the discernment of spirits; the gift of interpreting Scripture.(1)

What is the gift of wise speech, or the word of wisdom? The gift of wise speech is a grace of the Holy Ghost that enables us to expound with clarity the truths of faith, while the word of knowledge is a gift of the Holy Spirit which imparts facility in explaining truths that concern morals.

What is die gift of faith? It is, according to St. Chrysostom, the special confidence necessary to perform miracles, or, according to St. Ambrose, a grace of the Holy Ghost which provides strength to preach the Gospel boldly and fearlessly. Other theologians define it as the heavenly light which must enlighten in a special manner the minds of those who preach the Gospel.

What are the graces of healing and the gift of working miracles? These two graces can really be combined because the grace of healing the sick has the effect of restoring bodily health through miracles, while the gift of working miracles manifests the power of God through miraculous works.

What is the gift of prophecy? It is a grace of the Holy Ghost by which (1). Cor. 12, 8-10.

we know future events and secret things that cannot be known in a natural way. This gift likewise includes the grace of revelations.

What is the discerning of spirits? It is a light of the Holy Ghost, whereby arc known the thoughts, desires, movements and interior affections proceeding from a good or evil principle.

What is the gift of speaking diverse tongues? It is the gift bestowed by the Holy Ghost on the Apostles at Pentecost, and includes the special facility in making heavenly truths understood by those to whom they are taught.

What is the gift of interpretation of Scripture? It is a grace of the Holy Spirit enlightening the intellect to understand the sense of Holy Writ, and animating the will to extend this understanding to others.

Did the Blessed Virgin possess all these graces? Yes, without doubt. Such is the opinion of St. Albert the Great, (2) Suarez, and many other great theologians who offer several substantiating proofs. First of all, since Our Lady was full of grace, according to the declaration of St. Gabriel, she must therefore have possessed all graces. Secondly, her incomprehensible dignity as Mother of God must necessarily have been adorned with the highest and most perfect gifts of the Holy Ghost. Thirdly, being after her Divine Son, the universal dispenser of all graces in the Church, Mary must necessarily have possessed the totality of the graces that she was to obtain for human kind.

We may therefore say, first, that the Holy Ghost gave the Blessed Virgin a most penetrating and clear understanding of Sacred Scripture, together with a great facility in explaining its truths concerning faith and morals.

Secondly, Mary possessed in the highest degree the special confidence necessary to work miracles.

In the third place, Our lady possessed more perfectly than any Saint the gift of actually working miracles, because apart from the miracle of miracles wrought by her cooperation with the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost in the ineffable mystery of the Incarnation, we have every reason to believe that she worked many other wonders, though they have not been recorded.

In the fourth place, many proofs could be adduced to reveal that Our Lady enjoyed the gift of prophecy. Be it enough to mention the prophecy expressed in the Magnificat: "Behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed," (3) for it includes all the honor and homage that (2). Apud Vega. Theol. Mar. n. 1342. (3). Luke, 1, 48

will ever be paid to Mary in Heaven and on earth, while endless ages run, and throughout eternity.

In the fifth instance, having received the gift of prophecy, the most Blessed Virgin likewise possessed the grace of revelations in a much more excellent degree than all the other Saints.(4) Throughout her life, says St. Andrew of Crete,(5) she was enlightened by countless divine revelations. How many mysteries did not the Holy Ghost reveal to her, even from the moment of her Immaculate Conception? How many wondrous secrets did she not hear from the adorable lips of her Beloved Son during the rich hidden years He spent at her side? How many lights did she not receive from her familiar conversations with the Angels? Finally, St. Ambrose (6) and many other holy Doctors have testified that St. John the Evangelist owed his intimate knowledge of the divinity of Christ and the revelations contained in the Apocalypse to his special relationship to Mary and his filial services to her.

In the sixth place, the holy Virgin possessed the gift of discerning spirits more perfectly than the greatest Saints, as this gift is contained in that of prophecy.

In the seventh place, she received on Pentecost with the Apostles, the gift of speaking i n diverse tongues. St. Albert the Great, St. Antoninus and ST. Athanasius assert that Mary received i t with greater plenitude than the Apostles themselves, for the instruction and consolation of many of the faithful, who came from every part of the world to seek and to consult her as an oracle of the Holy Spirit.

In the eighth place, being endowed with the gift of wisdom and of faith, and the spirit of prophecy, Mary likewise possessed the grace of interpreting Scripture with much more perfect clarity than was ever granted to anyone else.

But what relation do all these graces bear to the most holy Heart of our heavenly Mother? They are related to it as effects are to their cause, as streams to their source, as lines to their center, as the solar rays to the sun. For is it not true that the love and humility of the amiable Heart of Mary having drawn the Holy Ghost to take up His abode, likewise attracted the complete plenitude of all His gifts and graces? Hence do we justly term her virginal Heart the sanctuary of the graces of the divine Spirit. This being so, it is only fitting that Heaven and earth, men and angels, and every creature be employed in blessing, praising and glorifying the thrice Holy One, who has enriched the incomparable (4). Cf. Suarez, In 3 part. disp. 19, Sect. 4. (5). Serm. de Assumpt (6). De Instit. Virginis, cap. 7.

Heart of Mary with so much grace, so much Sanctity and so many marvels.

I do not exhort you, dear reader, to imitate the graces just described, for these sublimities are admirable rather than imitable, but I adjure you to take cue not to fall into the sentiments of Luther, Calvin and other sectarians, who seek to snatch from the Church some of its greatest and most signal jewels, by attempting to deprive it of the grace of revelations (7) and the gift of miracles.

Throughout the history of the Church there have been such manifestations of the power of God. The Spirit of Light operated marvellously and powerfully in certain chosen and faithful Souls. The spirit of darkness, who is the ape of God, tries to counterfeit these works, in order to discount their value, making them seem to be like his own, full of falsehood and deceit. The world brings forth many more thorns than roses; fool's gold is far more abundant than true ore. In the time of Achab, King of Israel, the deceitful spirit spoke through more than four hundred. false prophets, while the Spirit of Truth spoke only through the prophet Micheas. It is indeed with strong reason that St. John the beloved disciple cries out to us: "Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, if they be of God." (80 There are in this confused world persons too credulous, believing too easily, and there are others to whom belief is too hard. These two extremities are dangerous, and the wise will avoid both of them. To accept every revelation or supposed miracle is the mark of a weak, imprudent spirit; to reject every revelation is the mark of a rash, unreasoning spirit. Tell me, do Sensible men destroy all currency because much of it is counterfeit? Satan had always had diviners and false prophets, from the earliest days, but God has also had His chosen mouthpieces, and He always will have them, i n fulfillment of His Divine promise: "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy: your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions."(9)

God has many ways to lead souls to Heaven, and as Master of Life, He leads as He wills, some souls by ordinary paths, others by extraordinary paths. The way of faith is the great highway built to guide men to eternal life; yet is not faith founded upon revelation? And is it not by revelation that we hold the mystery of our creation? (7). St. John Eudes probably added these concluding paragraphs to justify his belief in the visions and revelations of Mary Des Vallées, a saintly woman of Coutances. (8). 1 John 4, 1. (9). Joel 2, 28.

it is true that the fundamental revelations of our faith are authorized and ratified by Holy Church; yet it is a mark of faith to treat with respect anything which suggests the shadow of Almighty God, so long as no error appear, and with prudence to refrain from attributing to the devil what may perchance come from God. That is why it is wise to withhold judgment in such matters. Those, who by reason of their office or by order of their superiors must investigate these manifestations, should never rely on their own knowledge or experience, but, seeking counsel and careful theological study, they should humbly seek the aid of the Holy Ghost and invoke the Mother of Truth and of the Eternal Light, so that thus they may fulfil the words of St. Paul: "Extinguish not the spirit. Despise not prophecies. But prove all things; hold fast that which is good." (10) (10). 1 Thess. 5, 19-21. 245-