Chapter IX — O Clemens, O Pia

How great is the clemency and compassion of Mary

Speaking of the great compassion that Mary has toward us wretched creatures, St. Bernard says that she is precisely the land promised by God, from which milk and honey were to flow: Terra repromissionis Maria lacte et melle manans.

Hence St. Leo says that the Virgin is endowed with such bowels of mercy that she not only deserves to be called merciful, but must be called mercy itself: Maria adeo praedita est misericordiae visceribus, ut non tantum misericors, sed ipsa misericordia dici promereatur. And St. Bonaventure, considering that Mary was made Mother of God for the sake of the wretched, and that to her is committed the office of dispensing mercies; considering further the great care she takes of all the miserable — a care that renders her so rich in compassion that she seems to desire nothing else but to relieve the needy — said that when he looked upon Mary, he seemed no longer to see divine justice, but only the divine mercy with which Mary is filled. Here are his tender words: Certe, Domina, cum te aspicio, nihil nisi misericordiam cerno; nam pro miseris Mater Dei facta es et tibi officium miserendi commissum. Undique sollicita es de miseris, misericordia vallaris, solum misereri videris appetere.

So great, in sum, is the compassion of Mary, that, as Abbot Guerric says, her loving heart never ceases to bring forth fruits of mercy toward us: Cuius viscera numquam desistunt fructum parturire pietatis. And what else, exclaims St. Bernard, can flow from a fountain of compassion if not compassion? Quid de fonte pietatis, nisi pietas? For this reason Mary was called an olive tree: Quasi oliva speciosa in campis (Ecclus. 24:19) — for just as nothing comes from the olive but oil, the symbol of mercy, so from the hands of Mary nothing comes but graces and mercies. Hence Mary may justly be called, says the Venerable Louis de Ponte, the Mother of oil, since she is the Mother of mercy: Merito dici potest Mater olei, nam est mater misericordiae. So that when we have recourse to this Mother to ask the oil of her compassion, we cannot fear that she will deny it to us, as the wise virgins denied it to the foolish, answering: Ne forte non sufficiat nobis et vobis (Mt. 25:9). No, for she is indeed rich in this oil of mercy, as St. Bonaventure observes: Maria plena oleo pietatis. And therefore she is called by the holy Church not merely a prudent but the most prudent Virgin, so that we may understand, says Hugh of St. Victor, that Mary is so full of grace and compassion that she is able to supply all, without any of it diminishing in her: Gratia plena, et in tantum plena, ut ex tuo redundante oleo totus mundus hauriat. Si enim prudentes Virgines oleum acceperunt in vasis cum lampadibus, tu prudentissima Virgo gestasti vas redundans et indeficiens, ex quo, effuso oleo misericordiae, omnium lampades illuminares.

But why, I ask, is this beautiful olive said to stand in the middle of a field — Quasi oliva speciosa in campis — and not rather in the middle of a garden enclosed by walls or hedges? Cardinal Hugh answers on this passage: Ut omnes eam respiciant, omnes ad eam confugiant — so that all may easily see her and easily have recourse to her, to obtain a remedy for their needs. St. Antoninus confirms this beautiful thought, saying that to an olive tree standing exposed in an open field, all may go and gather its fruit; so to Mary all may have recourse, both the just and sinners, to obtain her mercy: Ad olivam in campis omnes possunt accedere et accipere fructum eius. Ad Mariam et iusti et peccatores possunt accedere, ut inde misericordiam accipiant. And then the saint adds: O quot sententias flagellorum propter peccata, haec sanctissima Virgo misericorditer revocavit! Oh, how many sentences of punishment this most holy Virgin has with her compassionate prayers been able to revoke in favor of sinners who have had recourse to her! And what other more secure refuge, asks the devout Thomas a Kempis, can we find than the compassionate bosom of Mary? There the poor man finds his shelter, the sick man his remedy, the afflicted his comfort, the doubtful his counsel, the abandoned his relief: Non est tutior locus ad latendum, quam sinus Mariae. Ibi pauper habet domicilium, ibi infirmus invenit remedium, tristis solatium; ibi turbatus consilium, ibi destitutus acquirit iuvamentum.

Wretched would we be if we did not have this Mother of Mercy, attentive and eager to assist us in our miseries! Ubi non est mulier, ingemiscit egens (Ecclus. 36:27): Where there is no woman, says the Holy Spirit, the sick man groans and suffers. This woman, St. John Damascene attests, is precisely Mary, without whom every sick person suffers: Ingemiscit infirmus, ubi non fuerit haec sanctissima mulier. Yes, because God wills that all graces be dispensed through the prayers of Mary; where these are lacking, there is no hope of mercy, as the Lord signified to St. Bridget, saying to her: Nisi preces Mariae intervenirent, non esset spes misericordiae.

But do we perhaps fear that Mary does not see or does not feel compassion for our miseries? No — she sees them far better than we do, and she feels them deeply. And who among the saints is found, says St. Antoninus, who feels such compassion for our ills as Mary? Non reperitur aliquis sanctorum ita compati in infirmitatibus, sicut mulier haec Beatissima Virgo Maria. Hence, wherever she sees misery, she cannot fail to hasten to relieve it with her great compassion: Ubicumque fuerit miseria, tua currit et succurrit misericordia, says Richard of St. Victor. And Mendoza confirms it: Itaque, o B. Virgo, ubi miserias invenis, ibi tuas misericordias effundis — So, O blessed Virgin, you pour out your mercies abundantly wherever you behold our needs. And from this office of compassion our good Mother will never cease, as she herself declares: Et usque ad futurum saeculum non desinam, et in habitatione sancta coram ipso ministravi (Ecclus. 24:14). As Cardinal Hugh comments: Usque ad futurum saeculum, idest beatorum, non desinam miseris subvenire, et pro peccatoribus orare. I will not leave off, Mary says, until the end of the world, helping men in their miseries and praying for sinners, so that they may be saved and delivered from eternal misery.

Suetonius relates of the Emperor Titus that he was so eager to grant favors to those who asked them, that on those days when he had no occasion to grant some favor, he would say with sorrow: Diem perdidi — This day has been lost for me, because I have spent it without benefiting anyone. Titus very likely said this more out of vanity or ambition for esteem than out of true charity. But our Empress Mary, should it ever happen that on some day she had not the occasion to bestow some grace, would say it solely because she is full of charity and desire to do us good. So much so, says Bernardine de Bustis, that she has more eagerness to bestow graces upon us than we have desire to receive them from her: Plus vult illa bonum tibi facere et largiri gratiam, quam tu accipere concupiscas. And therefore the same author says that whenever we have recourse to her, we shall always find her with her hands full of mercy and generosity: Invenies eam in manibus plenam misericordia et liberalitate.

Rebecca was a figure of Mary; for when she was asked for a little water to drink by the servant of Abraham, she answered that she would give water enough not only for him but also for his camels: Quin et camelis tuis hauriam aquam, donec cuncti bibant (Gen. 24:19). At this the devout St. Bernard, turning to the Blessed Virgin, says to her: Domina, nec puero Abrahae tantum, sed et camelis tribue de supereffluenti hydria tua. Meaning: Lady, you are already more compassionate and more generous than Rebecca; and therefore you are not content to dispense the graces of your immense mercy only to the servants of Abraham, who represent those faithful to God, but you dispense them also to the camels, who represent sinners. And just as Rebecca gave more than she was asked, so Mary gives more than is asked of her. The generosity of Mary, says Richard of St. Lawrence, resembles the generosity of her Son, who always gives more than is sought; for which reason he is called by St. Paul Dives in omnes qui invocant illum (Rom. 10:12) — Rich toward all who call upon him with their prayers. Here are the words of Richard: Largitas Mariae assimilat largitatem Filii sui; dat amplius quam petatur. Hence a devout author says to the Virgin: Lady, pray for me, for you will ask graces for me with more devotion than I could ever muster; and you will obtain for me from God graces far greater than those I could ask for: Maiori devotione orabis pro me, quam ego auderem petere; et maiora mihi impetrabis, quam petere praesumam.

When the Samaritans refused to receive Jesus Christ and his teaching, St. James and St. John said to their Master: Do you will, Lord, that we command fire to come down and devour them? But the Savior answered: Nescitis cuius spiritus estis (Lk. 9:55). As if to say: My spirit is so merciful and gentle, for I came from heaven to save sinners, not to punish them; and you would see them destroyed? What fire? What punishment? Be silent, speak to me no more of punishment — that is not my spirit. But of Mary, whose spirit is entirely like that of her Son, we cannot doubt that she is wholly inclined to use mercy; for she, as she told St. Bridget, is called the Mother of Mercy, and it is the very mercy of God that has made her so compassionate and gentle with all: Ego vocor mater misericordiae, et vere misericordia illius misericordem me fecit. And therefore Mary was seen by St. John clothed with the sun: Et signum magnum apparuit in caelo, mulier amicta sole (Apoc. 12:1). On which words St. Bernard, turning to the Virgin, says to her: Vestis solem, et vestiris ab eo — Lady, you clothed the sun — the divine Word — with human flesh; but he has clothed you with his power and his mercy.

So compassionate and kind is this Queen, says the same St. Bernard, that when any sinner goes to commend himself to her compassion, she does not stop to examine his merits, whether he is worthy or not of being heard, but hears and helps all: Non discutit merita, sed omnibus exorabilem se praebet. For this reason St. Ildebertus observes that Mary is called beautiful as the moon: Pulchra ut luna (Cant. 6:9); for just as the moon illuminates and benefits the lowest bodies of the earth, so Mary illuminates and helps the most unworthy sinners: Pulchra ut luna, quia pulchrum est, says St. Ildebertus, benefacere indignis. And although the moon receives all its light from the sun, it works more swiftly than the sun: Quod sol facit in anno, luna facit in mense, as an author says. And therefore St. Anselm says: Velocior nonnumquam est nostra salus, invocato nomine Mariae, quam invocato nomine Iesu. Hence Hugh of St. Victor encourages us that if our sins make us afraid to approach God, because he is an infinite Majesty whom we have offended, we must not hesitate to have recourse to Mary, for in her we will find nothing to frighten us. It is true that she is holy, immaculate, Queen of the world, and Mother of God; but she is of our own flesh, a daughter of Adam like ourselves: Si pertimescis ad Deum accedere, respice ad Mariam; non illic invenis quod timeas; genus tuum vides.

In sum, says St. Bernard, all that belongs to Mary is full of grace and compassion; for she, as a mother of mercy, has made herself all things to all, and by her great charity has made herself a debtor to the just and to sinners, opening to all the bosom of her mercy so that all may share in it: Quae ad eam pertinent, plena omnia pietatis et gratiae. Denique omnia omnibus facta est, sapientibus et insipientibus copiosissima caritate debitricem se fecit: omnibus misericordiae suae sinum aperit, ut de plenitudine eius accipiant omnes. So that, just as the devil goes about always seeking to bring death to whomever he can, as St. Peter says — Circuit quaerens quem devoret (1 Pet. 5:8) — so on the contrary, says Bernardine de Bustis, Mary goes about always seeking to give life and save whomever she can: Ipsa semper circuit quaerens quem salvet.

We should then understand that the protection of Mary is greater and more powerful than we can comprehend: Patrocinium tuum maius est quam apprehendi possit, says St. Germanus. And why does it happen that the Lord, who in the ancient law was so rigorous in punishing, now shows such great mercy to those guilty of greater sins? The author of the Pomerium asks: Quare parcit nunc mundo ipse Deus, qui olim multo his minora peccata acrius punivit? He answers: Totum hoc facit propter B. Virginem et eius merita — He does all this for love of Mary and for her merits. Oh, how long ago the world would have been destroyed, says St. Fulgentius, had Mary not sustained it with her intercession! Caelum et terra iamdudum ruissent, si Maria suis precibus non sustentasset.

But we may securely, continues St. Arnold of Chartres, go to God and hope for every good from him, because the Son is our mediator before the divine Father, and the Mother before the Son. How can the Father fail to hear the Son when he shows him the wounds suffered for sinners? And how can the Son fail to hear the Mother when she shows him the breasts with which she nursed him? Securum accessum iam habet homo ad Deum, ubi mediatorem causae suae Filium habet ante Patrem, et ante Filium Matrem. Christus ostendit Patri latus et vulnera; Maria Christo pectus et ubera. St. Peter Chrysologus says with beautiful energy that this one Maiden, having lodged God in her bosom, demands as the rent for his lodging peace for the world, salvation for the lost, life for the dead: Una puella sic Deum in sui pectoris capit hospitio, ut pacem terris, salutem perditis, vitam mortuis, pro ipsa domus exigat pensione.

Oh, how many who would deserve, says the Abbot of Celles, to be condemned by divine justice, are saved by the compassion of Mary! For she is the treasury of God and the treasurer of all graces; hence our salvation is in her hands: Saepe quos iustitia Filii potest damnare, Mater misericordiae liberat. Thesaurus Domini est et thesauraria gratiarum. Salus nostra in manibus illius est. Let us then always have recourse to this great Mother of compassion, and let us hope with confidence to be saved through her intercession, for she — Bernardine de Bustis encourages us — is our salvation, our life, our hope, our counsel, our refuge, our help: Haec est nostra salus, vita, spes, consilium, refugium, auxilium nostrum. Mary is precisely, says St. Antoninus, that throne of grace to which the Apostle exhorts us to have recourse with confidence, so that we may obtain divine mercy with all the helps needed for our salvation: Adeamus... cum fiducia ad thronum gratiae, ut misericordiam consequamur, et gratiam inveniamus in auxilio opportuno (Heb. 4:16). Ad thronum gratiae, scilicet ad Mariam, comments St. Antoninus. Hence Mary was called by St. Catherine of Siena Administratrix misericordiae — the dispensatrix of divine mercy.

Let us conclude, then, with the beautiful and sweet exclamation that St. Bernard makes on the words O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria. Clemens, he says, indigentibus, pia exorantibus, dulcis diligentibus. O clemens poenitentibus, pia proficientibus, dulcis contemplantibus. O clemens liberando, o pia largiendo, o dulcis te donando. O Mary, you are clement with the wretched, compassionate with those who pray to you, sweet with those who love you. Clement with penitents, compassionate with those who advance, sweet with the perfect. You show yourself clement by delivering us from punishments, compassionate by dispensing graces, sweet by giving yourself to those who seek you.

Example

It is related by Fr. Carlo Bovio that in Domans, France, there was a married man who, though he had a wife, kept up a dishonest relationship with another woman. The wife, unable to bear this, did nothing but call down punishments from God upon them; and especially one day she went to an altar of the Blessed Virgin in a certain church to demand justice against the woman who was keeping her husband. And to this image, the other wretched sinner would go every day to recite a Hail Mary.

One night the divine Mother appeared in a dream to the said wife, who, upon seeing her, immediately began her usual refrain: "Justice, Mother of God, justice!" But Our Lady answered her: "Justice? You come to me for justice? Go find someone else to give it to you — I for my part cannot do it. Know," she then added, "that this sinner every day recites a greeting to me, which, when recited by any person whatsoever, I cannot bear that she should suffer and be punished for her sins."

When morning came, the wife went to hear Mass in that church of Our Lady, and upon leaving she met her husband's mistress. Seeing her, she began to insult her and then to say she was a sorceress who by sorcery had managed to enchant even the Blessed Virgin. "Be quiet," said the people, "what are you saying?" "What do you mean, be quiet?" she replied. "What I say is more than true. Last night Our Lady appeared to me, and when I asked for justice, she told me she could not give it to me because of a greeting this wicked woman recites to her every day." They then asked the other woman what greeting she recited to the Mother of God. She replied that it was the Hail Mary. But upon hearing that the Blessed Virgin, for that small devotion, showed her such great mercy, she immediately went and threw herself before that holy image and there, in the presence of all, asking forgiveness for her scandal, made a vow of perpetual continence. Moreover, clothing herself as a nun and building a small cell near that church, she enclosed herself within it, and there in continual penance she persevered until death.

Prayer

O Mother of Mercy, since you are so compassionate and have so great a desire to do good to us wretched creatures and to grant our requests, I today, the most wretched of all, have recourse to your compassion, that you may grant me what I ask. Let others seek of you what they will — bodily health, worldly gains and advantages. I come to ask of you, Lady, those things that you desire of me and that most conform to and please your most holy Heart.

You were so humble — obtain for me, then, humility and love of contempt. You were so patient in the trials of this life — obtain for me patience in adversity. You were wholly filled with love for God — obtain for me the gift of holy and pure love. You were wholly filled with charity toward your neighbor — obtain for me charity toward all, and particularly toward those who are hostile to me. You were wholly united to the divine will — obtain for me a total conformity to all that God disposes of me. You, in a word, are the holiest of all creatures, O Mary — make me a saint.

You lack not love; you can and you already wish to obtain all for me. Therefore the only thing that can prevent me from receiving your graces is either my negligence in having recourse to you or my lack of confidence in your intercession; but this recourse and this confidence you yourself must obtain for me. These two supreme graces I ask of you, these I desire from you, these I certainly hope for from you, O Mary, Mary my Mother, my hope, my love, my life, my refuge, my help, and my consolation. Amen.