Chapter IV
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve

Chapter IV
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve

by Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Chapter IV, Section I
The Promptitude of Mary in assisting those who invoke her

Truly unfortunate are we poor children of Eve; for, guilty before God of her fault, and condemned to the same penalty, we have to wander about in this valley of tears as exiles from our country, and to weep over our many afflictions of body and soul.  But blessed is he who, in the midst of these sorrows, often turns to the comfortress of the world, to the refuge of the unfortunate, to the great Mother of God, and devoutly calls upon her and invokes her!  "Blessed is the man that heareth me, and that watcheth daily at my gates" - ("Beatus homo, qui audit me, et qui vigilat ad fores meas quoddie"—Proverbs 8:34).  Blessed, says Mary, is he who listens to my counsels, and watches continually at the gate of my mercy, and invokes my intercession and aid.

The holy Church carefully teaches us her children with what attention and confidence we should unceasingly have recourse to this loving protectress; and for this purpose commands devotions peculiar to Mary.  And not only this, but she has instituted so many festivals that are celebrated throughout the year in honor of this great Queen: she devotes one day in the week, in an especial manner, to her honor; in the divine office all ecclesiastics and religious are daily obliged to invoke her in the name of all Christians; and, finally, she desires that all the faithful should salute this most holy Mother of God three times a day, at the sound of the Angelus-bell.  And that we may understand the confidence that the holy Church has in Mary, we need only remember that in all public calamities she invariably invites all to have recourse to the protection of this divine Mother, by novenas, prayers, processions, by visiting the churches dedicated in her honor, and her images.  And this is what Mary desires.  She wishes us always to seek her and invoke her aid; not as if she were begging of us these honors and marks of veneration, for they are in no way proportioned to her merit; but she desires them, that by such means our confidence and devotion may be increased, and that so she may be able to give us greater succor and comfort:  "She seeks for those", says Saint Bonaventure, "who approach her devoutly and with reverence, for such she loves, nourishes, and adopts as her children" - ("Ipsa tales quaerit, qui ad eam devote et reverenter accedant; hos enim diligit, hos nutrit, hos in filios suos suscipit"—Stim. Am. p. 5, c. 16).

This last-named saint remarks, that Ruth, whose name signifies "seeing and hastening", was a figure of Mary; "for Mary, seeing our miseries, hastens in her mercy to succor us" - ("Videns etiam nostram miseriam, est et festinans ad impendendam suam misericordiam"—Spec. B. M. V. lect. v).  Novarino adds, that "Mary, in the greatness of her desire to help us, cannot admit of delay, for she is in no way an avaricious guardian of the graces she has at her disposal as mother of mercy, and cannot do otherwise than immediately shower down the treasures of her liberality on her servants" - ("Nescit nectere moras, benefaciendi cupida, nec gratiarum avara custos est; tarda nescit molimina misericordiae Mater, beneficentiae suae thesaurus in suos effusura"—Umbr. Virg. exc. 73).

O how prompt is this good Mother to help those who call upon her!  "Thy two breasts", says the sacred Canticle, are "like two Roes that are twins" - ("Duo ubera tua, sicut duo hinnuli capreae"—Canticles 4:5).  Richard of Saint Laurence explains this verse, and says, that as Roes (Gazelle) are swift in their course, so are the breast of Mary prompt to bestow the milk of mercy on all who ask it.  "By the light pressure of a devout salutation and prayer they distil large drops" -  ("Compressione levissima devotae Salutationis et orationis, larga distillabit (Virgo )stillicidia"—De Laud. B. M. l. 1, c. 8).  The same author assures us that the compassion of Mary is poured out on every one who asks it, even should it be sought for by no other prayer than a simple "Hail Mary".  Wherefore Novarino declares that the Blessed Virgin not only runs but flies to assist him who invokes her.  "She", says this author, "in the exercise of her mercy, knows not how to act differently from God; for, as He flies at once to the assistance of those who beg His aid, faithful to His promise, 'Ask, and you shall receive'" - ("Petite, et acipietis"—John 16:24), so Mary, whenever she is invoked, is at once ready to assist him who prays to her.  "God has wings when He assists His own, and immediately flies to them; Mary also takes wing when she is about to fly to our aid" - ("Alis utitur Deus; ut suis opituletur, statim advolat; alas sumit et Virgo, in nostril auxilium advolatura"—Umbra Virg. exc. 74).  And hence we see who the woman was, spoken of in the following verse of the Apocalypse, to whom two great eagle's wings were given, that she might fly to the desert.  "And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the desert" - ("Et datae sunt mulieri alae duae aquilae magnae, ut volaret in desertum"—Apocalypse 12:14).  Ribeira explains these wings to mean the love with which Mary always flew to God.  "She has the wings of an eagle, for she flies with the love of God" - ("Pennas habet aquilae, quia amore Dei volat").  But the blessed Amadeus, more to our purpose, remarks that these wings of an eagle signify "the velocity, exceeding that of the seraphim, with which Mary always flies to the succor of her children" - ("Motu celerrimo Seraphim alas excedens, ubique suis ut mater occurrit"—De Laud. B. V. hom. 8).

This will explain a passage in the Gospel of Saint Luke, in which we are told that when Mary went to visit and shower graces on Saint Elizabeth and her whole family, she was not slow, but went with speed.  The Gospel says, "And Mary, rising up, went into the hill country with haste" - ("Exurgens autem Maria . . . abiit in Montana cum festinatione"—Luke 1:39).  And this is not said of her return.  For a similar reason, we are told in the sacred Canticles that the hands of Mary are used to the lathe: "her hands are skillful at the wheel" - ("Manus illius tornatiles"—Canticles 5:14), meaning, says Richard of Saint Laurence, "that as the art of turning is the easiest and most expeditious mode of working, so also is Mary the most willing and prompt of all the saints to assist her clients" - ("Sicut ars tornandi promptior est aliis artibus, sic Maria ad benefaciendum promptior est omnibus Sanctis"—De Laud. B. M. l. 5).  And truly "she has the most ardent desire to console all, and is no sooner invoked than she accepts the prayers, and helps" - ("Omnes consolatur, et. Vel tenuiter invocate, praesto adest"—Par. An. fid. p. 1, c. 18).  Saint Bonaventure, then, was right in calling Mary the "salvation of all who call upon her" - ("O salus te invocantium!"—Cant. p. Psalt.), meaning, that it suffices to invoke this divine Mother in order to be saved; for, according to Richard of Saint Laurence, she is always ready to help those who seek her aid.  "Thou wilt always find her ready to help thee" - ("Semper paratam auxiliary"—De Laud B. M. l. 2, p. 1).  And Bernardine de Bustis adds, "that this great Lady is more desirous to grant us graces than we are desirous to receive them" - ("Plus desierat ipsa facere tibi bonum, quam tu accipere concupiscas"—Marial. p. 2, s. 5).

Nor should the multitude of our sins diminish our confidence that Mary will grant our petitions when we cast ourselves at her feet.  She is the Mother of mercy; but mercy would not be needed did none exist who require it.  On this subject Richard of Saint Laurence remarks, "that as a good mother does not shrink from applying a remedy to her child infected with ulcers, however nauseous and revolting they may be, so also is our good mother unable to abandon us when we have recourse to her, that she may heal the wounds caused by our sins, however loathsome they may have rendered us" - ("Non enim Mater haec dedignatur peccatores, sicut nec bona Mater filium scabiosum; quia propter peccatores factam se recolit Misericordiae Genitricem; ubi enim non est miseria, misericordia non habet locum"—De Laud. B. M. l. 4).  This is exactly what Mary gave Saint Gertrude to understand, when she showed herself to her with her mantle spread out to receive all who have recourse to her.  At the same time the saint was told that "angels constantly guard the clients of this Blessed Virgin from the assaults of Hell".

This good Mother's compassion is so great, and the love she bears us is such, that she does not even wait for our prayers in order to assist us; but, as it is expressed in the Book of Wisdom, "She preventeth them that covet her, so that she first showeth herself unto them" - ("Praeoccupat, qui se concupiscent, ut illis se prior ostendat"—Wisdom 6:14).  Saint Anselm applies these words to Mary, and says that she is beforehand with those who desire her protection.  By this we are to understand that she obtains us many favors from God before we have recourse to her.  For this reason Richard of Saint Victor remarks, that she is called the moon, "fair as the moon" - ("Pulchra ut luna"—Canticles 6:9), meaning, not only that she is swift as the moon in its course, by flying to the aid of those who invoke her, but that she is still more so, for her love for us is so tender, that in our wants she anticipates our prayers, and her mercy is more prompt to help us than we are to ask her aid - ("Velocitate praestat.  Velocius occurrit ejus pietas, quam invocetur, et causas miserorum anticipat").  "And this arises", adds the same Richard, "from the fact that the heart of Mary is so filled with compassion for poor sinners, that she no sooner sees our miseries than she pours her tender mercies upon us.  Nor is it possible for this benign Queen to behold the want of any soul without immediately assisting it" - ("A Deo pietate replentur ubera tua, ut, alicujus miseriae notitia tacta, lac fondant misericordiae: nec possis miseries scire, et non subvenire"—In Cant. c. 23).

Mary, even when living in this world, showed at the marriage-feast of Cana the great compassion that she would afterwards exercise towards us in our necessities, and which now, as it were, forces her to have pity on us and assist us, even before we ask her to do so.  In the second chapter of Saint Luke we read that at this feast the compassionate Mother saw the embarrassment in which the bride and bridegroom were, and that they were quite ashamed on seeing the wine fail; and therefore, without being asked, and listening only to the dictates of her compassionate heart, which could never behold the afflictions of others without feeling for them, she begged her Son to console them simply by laying their distress before Him: "They have no wine" - ("Vinum no habent"—John 2:3).  No sooner had she done so, than Our Lord, in order to satisfy all present, and still more to console the compassionate heart of His Mother, who had asked the favor, worked the well-known miracle by which He changed the water, brought to Him in jars, into wine.  From this Novarinus argues, that "if Mary, unasked, is thus prompt to succor the needy, how much more so will she be to succor those who invoke her and ask for her help?" ("Si tam prompta ad auxilium currit non quaesita, quid requaesita praestitura est?"—Umbra Virg. exc. 72).

Should there be any one who doubts as to whether Mary will aid him if he has recourse to her, Innocent III thus reproves him: "Who is there that ever, when in the night of sin, had recourse to this sweet Lady without being relieved?" - ("Quis invocavit eam, et non est exauditus ab ipsa?"—De Assumpt. s. 2).

"Who ever", exclaims the Blessed Eutychian,"faithfully implored thy all-powerful aid and was abandoned by thee?" - ("Quis, O Domina! Fideliter omnipotentem tuam rogavit opem, et fuit derelictus? Revera nullus unquam"—Vit. S. Theoph. Ap. Sur. 4 Febr).  Indeed, no one; for thou canst relieve the most wretched and save the most abandoned.  Such a case certainly never did and never will occur.

"I am satisfied", says Saint Bernard, "that whoever has had recourse to thee, O Blessed Virgin, in his wants, and can remember that he did so in vain, should no more speak of or praise thy mercy" - ("Sileat misericordiam tuam, Virgo Beata, qui invocatam te in necessitatibus suis sibi meminerit defuisse"—De Assumpt. s. 4).

"Sooner", says the devout Blosius, "would heaven and earth be destroyed than would Mary fail to assist any one who asks for her help, provided he does so with a good intention and with confidence in her" - ("Cutuys ciekyn cyn terra oeruerutm qyan tym akuqyenm serui te unokirabtenm tya ioe destutyas"—Consol. Pusil. c. 35).

Saint Anselm, to increase our confidence, adds, that "when we have recourse to this divine Mother, not only we may be sure of her protection, but that often we shall be heard more quickly, and be thus preserved, if we have recourse to Mary and call on her holy name, than we should be if we called on the name of Jesus our Savior"; and the reason he gives for it is, "that to Jesus, as a judge, it belongs also to punish; but mercy alone belongs to the Blessed Virgin as a patroness" - ("Velocior est nonnunquam salus, memorato nominee Mariae, quam invocato nominee Jesu: Filius Dominus est et Judex . . . invocato autem nominee Matris, etsi merita invocantis non merentur: merita tamen Matris intercedunt, ut exaudiatur"—De Excell. V. c. 6).  Meaning, that we more easily find salvation by having recourse to the Mother than by going to the Son—not as if Mary was more powerful than her Son to save us, for we know that Jesus Christ is our only Savior, and that He alone by His merits has obtained and obtains salvation for us; but it is for this reason: that when we have recourse to Jesus, we consider Him at the same time as our Judge, to Whom it belongs also to chastise ungrateful souls, and therefore the confidence necessary to be heard may fail us; but when we go to Mary, who has no other office than to compassionate us as Mother of mercy, and to defend us as our advocate, our confidence is more easily established, and is often greater.  "We often obtain more promptly what we ask by calling on the name of Mary than by invoking that of Jesus.  Her Son is Lord and Judge of all, and discerns the merits of each one; and therefore if He does not immediately grant the prayers of all, He is just.  When, however, the Mother's name is invoked, though the merits of the suppliant are not such as to deserve that his prayer should be granted, those of the Mother supply that he may receive".

"Many things", says Nicephorus, "are asked from God, and are not granted: they are asked from Mary, and are obtained".  And how is this?  It is "because God has thus decreed to honor His Mother" - ("Multa petuntur a Deo, et non obtinentur: multa petuntur a Maria, et obtinentur; non quia potentior, sed quia Deus eam decrevit sic honorare").  Saint Bridget heard Our Lord make a most sweet and consoling promise; for in the 50th chapter of the first book of her Revelations we read that Jesus addressed His Mother in the following words: "Thou shalt present Me with no petition that shall be refused.  My Mother, ask what thou wilt, for never will I refuse thee anything; and know", He added, "that I promise graciously to hear all those who ask any favor of Me in thy name, though they may be sinners, if only they have the will to amend their lives" - ("Nulla erit petition tua ad me, quae non exaudiatur, et per te omnes, qui petunt misericordiam cum voluntate emendandi, gratiam habebunt"—Rev. l. i. c. 50).  The same thing was revealed to Saint Gertrude, when she heard our divine Redeemer assure His Mother, that in His omnipotence He granted her power to show mercy to sinners who invoke her in whatever manner she might please - ("Ex omnipotentia mea, Mater, tibi concessi potestatem propitiandi peccatis omnium qui devote invocant tuae pietatis auxilium, qualicumque modo placet tibi"—Insin. l. 4. c. 53).

Let all, then, say, with full confidence in the words of that beautiful prayer addressed to the Mother of mercy, and commonly attributed to Saint Bernard, "Remember, O most pioius Virgin Mary, that it never was heard of in any age that any one having recourse to thy protection was abandoned" - ("Memorare, piissima Maria, a saeculo non fuisse auditum quemquam ad tua praesidia confugientem esse derelictum").

Example

We read in the life of Saint Francis de Sales that he experienced the efficacy of this prayer.  When he was about seventeen years of age, he was living in Paris, where he was pursuing his studies.  At the same time he devoted himself to exercises of piety and to the holy love of God, in which he found the joys of paradise.  Our Lord, in order to try him, and to strengthen the bands which united him to Himself, allowed the evil spirit to persuade him that all that he did was in vain, as he was already condemned in the eternal decrees of God.  The darkness and spiritual dryness in which God was pleased at the same time to leave him (for he was then insensible to all the sweeter thoughts of the goodness of God) caused the temptation to have greater power over the heart of the holy youth: and, indeed, it reached such a pitch that his fears and interior desolation took away his appetite, deprived him of sleep, made him pale and melancholy; so much so, that he excited the compassion of all who saw him.

As long as this terrible storm lasted, the saint could only conceive thoughts and utter words of despondency and bitter grief.  "Then", said he, "I am to be deprived of the grace of my God, Who hitherto has shown Himself so lovely and sweet to me!  O love, O beauty, to which I have consecrated all my affections, I am no longer to enjoy Thy consolation!  O Virgin, Mother of God, the fairest amongst all the daughters of Jerusalem, then I am never to see thee in heaven!  Ah, Lady, if I am not to behold thy beautiful countenance in Paradise, at least permit me not to blaspheme thee in Hell!"  Such were the tender sentiments of that afflicted, but at the same time loving heart.  The temptation had lasted a month, when it pleased Our Lord to deliver him by the means of that comfortress of the world, the most Blessed Mary, to whom the saint had some time before consecrated his virginity, and in whom, as he declared, he had placed all his hopes.  One evening, on returning home, he entered a church, and saw a tablet hanging on the wall.  He read it, and found the following well-known prayer; commonly called "the prayer of Saint Bernard:" "Remember, O most pious Virgin Mary, that it never has been heard of in any age, that any one having recourse to thy protection was abandoned".  Falling on his knees before the altar of the divine Mother, he recited this prayer with tender fervor, renewed his vow of chastity, promised to say the Rosary every day, and then added: "My Queen, be my advocate with thy Son, Whom I dare not approach.  My Mother, if I am so unfortunate as not to be able to love my Lord in the next world, and Whom I know to be so worthy of love, at least do thou obtain that I may love Him in this world as much as possible.  This is the grace that I ask and hope for from thee".  Having thus addressed the Blessed Virgin, he cast himself into the arms of divine mercy, and resigned himself entirely to the will of God.  Scarecely had he finished his prayer, when in an instant he was delivered from his temptation by his most sweet Mother.  He immediately regained the peace of his soul, and with it his bodily health; and from that time forward lived most devout to Mary, whose praises and mercy he constantly extolled, both in his sermons and writings, during the remainder of his life.

Prayer

O Mother of God, Queen of angels and hope of men, give ear to one who calls upon thee and has recourse to thy protection.  Behold me this day prostrate at thy feet; I, a miserable slave of hell, devote myself entirely to thee.  I desire to be forever thy servant.  I offer myself to serve and honor thee to the utmost of my power during the whole of my life.  I know that the service of one so vile and miserable can be no honor to thee, since I have so grievously offended Jesus, thy Son and my Redeemer.  But if thou wilt accept one so unworthy for thy servant, and by thy intercession change me, and thus making me worthy, this very mercy will give thee that honor which so miserable a wretch as I can never give thee.  Receive me, then, and reject me not, O my Mother.  The Eternal Word came from heaven on earth to seek for lost sheep, and to save them He became thy Son.  And when one of them goes to thee to find Jesus, wilt thou despise it?  The price of my salvation is already paid; my Savior has already shed His blood, which suffices to save an infinity of worlds.  This blood has only to be applied even to such a one as I am.  And that is thy office, O Blessed Virgin; to thee does it belong, as I am told by Saint Bernard, to dispense the merits of this blood to whom thou pleasest.  To thee does it belong, says Saint Bonaventure, to save whomsoever thou willest, "whomsoever thou willest will be saved" ("Quem vis, ipse salvus erit").  Oh, then, help me, my Queen; my Queen, save me.  To thee do I this day consecrate my whole soul; do thou save it.  O salvation of those who invoke thee, I conclude in the words of the same saint, "O salvation of those who call upon thee, do thou save me" ("O Salus te invocantium!").

Amen