Une Minute avec Marie
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Does praying for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin mean forgetting Christ? How can we understand that Mary "distributes" graces? Father Serafino M. Lanzetta, a Marian Franciscan and author of Semper Virgo (Via Romana Publishers), answers the questions posed by Constantin de Vergennes for France Catholique:
What exactly do we mean when we say that Mary is the "mediatrix" of grace?
Father Lanzetta: The Virgin Mary is a mediatrix of grace, because not only does she perfectly bring our prayer to God, but she also contributed, along with Jesus, to the formation of grace as such, since she carried it in her womb! We must also return to the Angel's message at the Annunciation. His words constitute a true Marian prayer and make it clear that Mary is "full of grace"... In this respect, let us remember that if there had been no angelic greeting, there would have been no Incarnation! To say "Ave" ("Hail Mary"), then, is to pray the mysteries of the Incarnation of the Word, present with us through Mary.
This notion of mediation and, more generally, of praying to the Virgin, meets with a common objection: why not pray to Jesus directly?
Quite simply, because we need to imitate the same paths taken by Christ, who came to us through the Virgin Mary. As Saint Louis de Montfort put it, we must "go to Jesus through Mary"! Theologians who say that we must pray "directly" to Jesus do not understand the concept of Mary's mediation. It should be understood not as an obstacle between Christ and us, but as the participation of the Virgin - who bore Jesus in her womb - in the mysteries of Christ.
Incidentally, the notion of mediation is found elsewhere in Christian life: the priesthood, for example, is a mediation in which the priest plays the role of mediator between the faithful and Christ. But the mediation par excellence remains the one that Jesus grants to Our Lady. Christian tradition has made no mistake about this: praying to Mary is a long-standing tradition of the Church. As far back as the 3rd century, we find the consecration prayer of "Sub tuum praesidium", which asks the Virgin Mary to let us take refuge under her protection.