THE INCREDIBLE EFFICACY AND POWER OF THE ‘HAIL MARY’ – ONE HAIL MARY

Hail Mary
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with Thee.
Blessed art Thou among women,
and Blessed is the Fruit of Thy Womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death.
Amen.

Millions of Catholics often say the Hail Mary. Some repeat it hastily not even thinking on the words they are saying. These following words may help some say it more thoughtfully. 

“One Hail Mary well said fills the heart of Our Lady with delight and obtains for us indescribably great graces. One Hail Mary well said gives us more graces than a thousand thoughtlessly said.”

St. Jerome tells us that “the truths contained in the Hail Mary are so sublime, so wonderful that no man or Angel could fully understand them.”

The Hail Mary is like a mine of gold that we can always take from but never exhaust. 

Is it hard to say the Hail Mary well? All we have to do is to know its value and understand its meaning.

Will you Praise God by honouring Our Lady and pray one “Hail Mary” today? Just one my friend, just one “Hail Mary devoutly said…”

Note: Dear friends I encourage you all to please pray one “Hail Mary” every time you see this post. So you will obtain great graces from Our Lord through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, who is the channel of Divine Graces. You never know how happy she is for that “single Hail Mary devoutly prayed in her honour”.
God Bless you All!

“To Jesus through Mary.”

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St. Thomas Aquinas, the Prince of Theologians, “the wisest of Saints and holiest of wise men,” as Leo XIII called him, preached for 40 days in Rome on the Hail Mary, filling his hearers with rapture.

Father F. Suarez, the holy and learned Jesuit, declared when dying that he would willingly give all the many learned books he wrote, all his life’s labors, for the merit of one Hail Mary prayerfully and devoutly said.

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A “Hail Mary” said with your heart and all your being has more power than ten Rosaries said by those who recite their prayers in a merely routine fashion.
~ The Virgin Mary to Catalina Rivas (from the Book “Praying the Rosary”)

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Satan and hell tremble when I repeat “Hail Mary”.
~ Thomas a Kempis (Author of the book “The Imitation of Christ”)

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“Every Hail Mary is like a blow on my head. If Christians knew how powerful the Rosary was, it would be my end.” — The devil said during an exorcism

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“One day Saint Gertrude had a vision of Our Lord counting gold coins. She summoned the courage to ask Him what He was doing. He answered: “I am counting the Hail Marys that you have said; this is the money with which you can pay your way to Heaven.”

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— A Testimony —

Blessed Alan says that a nun who had always had a great devotion to the Holy Rosary appeared after death to one of her sisters in religion and said to her: “If I were allowed to go back into my body, to have the chance of saying just one single Hail Mary – even if I said it quickly and without great fervor – I would gladly go through the sufferings that I had during my last illness all over again, in order to gain the merit of this prayer.” This is all the more compelling because she had been bedridden and had suffered agonizing pains for several years before she died.

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St. Mechtilde, who loved our Lady very much, was one day striving to compose a beautiful prayer in her honor. Our Lady appeared to her, with the golden letters on her breast of: “Hail Mary full of grace.” She said to her: “Desist, dear child, from your labor for no prayer you could possibly compose would give me the joy and delight of the Hail Mary.”

A certain man found joy in saying slowly the Hail Mary. The Blessed Virgin in return appeared to him smiling and announced to him the day and hour that he should die, granting him a most holy and happy death. After death a beautiful white lily grew from his mouth having written on its petals: “Hail Mary.”

Cesarius recounts a similar incident. A humble and holy monk lived in the monastery. His poor mind and memory were so weak that he could only repeat one prayer which was the “Hail Mary.” After death a tree grew over his grave and on all its leaves was written: “Hail Mary.”

These beautiful legends show us how much devotion to Our Lady was valued, and the power attributed to the Hail Mary devoutly prayed.

Each time that we say the Hail Mary we are repeating the very same words with which St. Gabriel the Archangel saluted Mary on the day of the Annunciation, when she was made Mother of the Son of God. Many graces and joys filled the soul of Mary at that moment. Now when we say the Hail Mary we offer anew all these graces and joys to Our Lady and she accepts them with Immense delight. In return she gives us a share in these joys.

Once Our Lord asked St. Francis Assisi to give Him something. The Saint replied: “Dear Lord, I can give You nothing for I have already given you all, all my love.” Jesus smiled and said: “Francis, give Me it all again and again, it will give Me the same pleasure.”

So with our dearest Mother, she accepts from us each time we say the Hail Mary the joys and delight she received from the words of St. Gabriel.

Almighty God gave His Blessed Mother all the dignity, greatness and holiness necessary to make her His own most perfect Mother.

But He also gave her all the sweetness, love, tenderness and affection necessary to make her our most loving Mother. Mary is truly and really our Mother.

As children when in trouble run to their mothers for help, so ought we to run at once with unbounded confidence to Mary.

St. Bernard and many Saints said that it was never, never heard at any time or in any place that Mary refused to hear the prayers of her children on earth.

Why do we not realize this most consoling truth? Why refuse the love and consolation that God’s Sweet Mother is offering us?

Is it our lamentable ignorance which deprives us of such help and consolation.

To love and trust Mary is to be happy on earth now and afterwards to be happy in Heaven.

Dr. Hugh Lammer was a staunch Protestant, with strong prejudices against the Catholic Church. One day he found an explanation of the Hail Mary and read it. He was so charmed with it that he began to say it daily. Insensibly all his anti-Catholic animosity began to disappear. He became a Catholic, a holy priest and a professor of Catholic Theology in Breslau.

A priest was called to the bedside of a man who was dying in despair because of his sins. Yet he refused obstinately to go to confession. As a last recourse the priest asked him to say at least the Hail Mary after which the poor man made a sincere confession and died a holy death.

In England, a parish priest was asked to go and see a Protestant lady who was gravely ill, and who wished to become a Catholic. Asked if she had ever gone to a Catholic Church, or, if she had spoken to Catholics, or if she had read Catholic books? She replied, “No, no.” All she could remember was that------when a child------she had learned from a little Catholic neighbor girl the Hail Mary, which she said every night. She was Baptized and before dying had the happiness of seeing her husband and children Baptized.

St. Gertrude tells us in her book, “Revelations” that when we thank God for the graces He has given to any Saint, we get a great share of those particular graces.

What graces, then, do we not receive when we say the Hail Mary while thanking God for all the unspeakable graces He has given His Blessed Mother?

------With Ecclesiastical Approval

“. . . One Ave Maria [Hail Mary] said without sensible fervor, but with a pure will in a time of aridity, has much more value in my sight than an entire Rosary recited in the midst of consolations.”

--------The Blessed Mother to Sr. Benigna Consolata Ferrero

“The holy and learned Jesuit, Father Suarez, was so deeply aware of the value of the Angelic Salutation [Hail Mary] that he said that he would gladly give all his learning for the price of one Hail Mary that had been said properly.”

--------St. Louis De Montfort, The Secret of the Rosary, p. 48

ON HYPOCRISY AND INTENTION, AND ALSO TO AVOID DANGEROUS OCCASIONS OF SIN

HYPOCRISY
by the Priests of the Congregation of St. Paul, 1893

  "Why do you tempt me, ye hypocrites?"—St. Matt, xxii. 18.

What was it in the conduct of these Pharisees that made our Lord send them away unanswered and unsatisfied? If we listen to their words, there is nothing in what they said but what was most true and appropriate. They told our Lord that they knew that He was a true speaker, that He taught the way of God in truth, that He cared for no man and did not regard the person of men. Could anything be better said than that? And yet He who came to be the light of men dismissed these fine talkers still wrapped in darkness and ignorance. What is the reason for this treatment—a treatment so different to that which our Lord generally gave to those who came to Him?

The reason is plain. These words of theirs were only on their lips, not in their hearts; they did not mean what they said nor wish to mean what they said. In fact it was all put on. They came to our Lord to ensnare Him, to get Him into difficulties. In one word, they came to Him as tempters. But He who not only hears the words of men but sees their hearts detected their dishonesty and insincerity, and measured out to it fitting punishment. The Saviour of mankind left these hypocrites, so far as we are told, unforgiven and unsaved.

And now how does this apply to ourselves? Very closely and practically. Far and away the most important thing for all of us is that we should receive from God the forgiveness of the sins which we have committed. In order to obtain this forgiveness, we have, each one, to go in person to God, as really as these Pharisees went to our Lord, and we have to make to Him certain professions of sorrow and contrition. We have to say that we are heartily sorry for all our sins, we declare that the reason why we are sorry is that those sins have offended Him who is infinitely good and worthy of all love, or at least that the loss of heaven or the danger of everlasting punishment makes us detest those sins; above all, we have to declare that our mind is made up not to commit mortal [or venial] sin again, nor willingly to expose ourselves to the dangerous occasions of sin. These are the professions which we have all made to Almighty God over and over again. If they are sincere and genuine, they will, through the Most Precious Blood of our Lord, secure to us the remission of our sins, however many and great those sins may have been.

But the important point is that these professions should be sincere and genuine. How, then, are we to know that they are sincere and genuine? Well, of course, if we know that we don't mean what we say, that we don't intend to make any change in our life and conduct, those expressions are plainly hypocritical and will bring down upon us a curse instead of forgiveness. This is so plain that it only needs to be mentioned to see the result. But there are many people who intend to do right and yet make a mistake about the act of contrition. They think that its sincerity and goodness depend on their feelings. They think that they ought to be able, if they are truly sorry, to shed tears for their sins, or at least to have profound emotions.

Now, no one will deny that it would be a good thing to be able to shed sincere tears of sorrow for our sins. The saints have done so, and have instructed us that we should pray for the grace to be able to do so. But the act of contrition may be and generally is sincere and true if—but mark the condition—we have made up our minds not to sin again, and also to avoid dangerous occasions of sin.

This is the test of a real good act of contrition, and it is a good test, for every one must know his own mind on the point. If we have that full and sincere determination, an act of contrition is good, however dry and cold may be our feelings; but if we have not got that determination, if we have not resolved to avoid bad company; if, on the contrary, we intend going on much as before, then, although we might deluge the confessional with floods of tears, our Lord's words to the Pharisees would be appropriate to us: "Why tempt you me, you hypocrites?''

This, then, dear brethren, is a very important application of to-day's Gospel to ourselves: that we must take great care not to approach Almighty God with words which we do not mean, and especially, in coming to Confession, that we must come with a real, true determination to avoid all grievous sin in the future.

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ON HYPOCRISY AND INTENTION, AND ALSO TO AVOID DANGEROUS OCCASIONS OF SIN

Jerome comments: To be truly repentant and in order to be saved, one must also be determined not to commit even deliberate venial sin against the all good God. So does this mean one must never commit any sin? Of course, that is preferable, but it is impossible for a man or a woman while living on earth not to fall into at least venial sins from time to time. However, there is a great difference with falling into sin—such as mortal or venial—but without having an actual will or intention to sin prior to falling, and a whole other thing to know one is sinning or that this act is offending God and yet not care. If you know something is a venial sin or offends God yet commits it with a deliberate intention: that is a really bad sign, and if this will is not corrected, may lead to damnation.

The great St. Ambrose said concerning this: “True repentance [and thus love of God] is to cease to sin [all sin, however small].”

And in The Revelations of St. Bridget, Our Lord said: “Moreover, know that just as all mortal sins are very serious, so too a venial sin is made mortal if a human being delights in it with the intention of persevering.” (Book 7, Chapter 27)

According to this definition by Our Lord Jesus Christ, if a person were to commit a venial sin but does not want to or intend to continue committing this sin again in the future, such a person would not be in a state of damnation because of his sin, even if it turned out that he committed it again in the future, because his will at the time was not to continue doing it.

In contrast, if another person has “the intention of persevering” in a venial sin and does not repent with a firm resolution or will to stop doing this sin again in the future (such as the at least venial sin of continuing putting oneself in proximate or direct occasion of sinning), but intends to continue doing it and are unrepentant for his sin: then he is in a state of damnation.

Our Lord’s words are crystal clear that a “venial sin is made mortal if a human being delights in it with the intention of persevering.” Hence, even if a sin is “only” venial, and, provided they commit it with an intention of persevering: they fall under the direct condemnation of Jesus Christ above, and they commit a mortal sin since they have an “intention of persevering” doing this sin, for “the smallest sin, lusted after, is enough to damn anyone from the kingdom of Heaven, who does not repent.” (Jesus speaking to St. Bridget, Book 1, Chapter 32)

The Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas, has the following interesting things to say about how a venial sin can become a mortal sin, and about the evil action of choosing sin before choosing to love God:

“The very fact that anyone chooses something that is contrary to divine charity, proves that he prefers it to the love of God, and consequently, that he loves it more than he loves God. Hence it belongs to the genus of some sins, which are of themselves contrary to charity, that something is loved more than God; so that they are mortal by reason of their genus… Sometimes, however, the sinner’s will is directed to a thing containing a certain inordinateness, but which is not contrary to the love of God and one’s neighbor, e.g. an idle word, excessive laughter, and so forth: and such sins are venial by reason of their genus… It is written (Sirach 19:1): "He that contemneth small things shall fall by little and little." Now he that sins venially seems to contemn small things. Therefore by little and little he is disposed to fall away together into mortal sin.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part of the Second Part, Q. 88, Art. 2 & 3, Reply to Objection 1/On the contrary)

And further on, he says:

“Whether a venial sin can become mortal? I answer that, The fact of a venial sin becoming a mortal sin… This is possible, in so far as one may fix one’s end in that venial sin, or direct it to some mortal sin as end, as stated above (Article 2). [Excerpt from article 2:] … it happens sometimes that a sin which is venial generically by reason of its object, becomes mortal on the part of the agent, either because he fixes his last end therein, or because he directs it to something that is a mortal sin in its own genus; for example, if a man direct an idle word to the commission of adultery [or if a man takes illicit and secret delight in beholding what is not lawful to behold, such as by viewing at and searching for immoral images].” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part of the Second Part, Q. 88, Art. 4 & 2)

Pope Innocent XI, Various Errors on Moral Matters #61, March 4, 1679: “He can sometimes be absolved, who remains in a proximate occasion of sinning, which he can and does not wish to omit, but rather directly and professedly seeks or enters into.” – Condemned statement by Pope Innocent XI.

Pope Innocent XI, Various Errors on Moral Matters #62, March 4, 1679: “The proximate occasion for sinning is not to be shunned when some useful and honorable cause for not shunning it occurs.” – Condemned statement by Pope Innocent XI.

Pope Innocent XI, Various Errors on Moral Matters #63, March 4, 1679: “It is permitted to seek directly the proximate occasion for sinning for a spiritual or temporal good of our own or of a neighbor.” – Condemned statement by Pope Innocent XI.

For instance, in order to help people avoid occasions of falling into sin, we often tell them about the absolute need to surf the internet without images on and with an adblock (which means that they can’t see images at all when surfing various websites or any internet ads) so as to avoid innumerable occasions of falling into sin, not only venial sins, but also mortal sins of impurity.

“Brother Roger, a Franciscan of singular purity, being once asked why he was so reserved in his intercourse with women, replied, that when men avoid the occasions of sin, God preserves them; but when they expose themselves to danger, they are justly abandoned by the Lord, and easily fall into some grievous transgressions.” (St. Alphonsus Liguori, The True Spouse of Jesus Christ, Mortification of the Eyes, p. 221)

Please see this section below for some more quotes on the issue and on the help and the steps on how to block images in your web-browser and how to surf the internet with an adblocker:

http://www.catholic-saints.net/spiritual/#How-to-control-your-eyes

GREAT QUOTES ABOUT THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY AND THE ROSARY

Quotes from our Blessed Mother Mary, the Saints, Pope’s and several scholars.

“Never will anyone who says his Rosary every day be led astray. This is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood.”
~Saint Louis de Montfort

“Continue to pray the Rosary every day.”
~Our Lady of Fatima to Sister Lucia

“You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.”
~Our Lady to Blessed Alan de la Roche

“Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world.”
~Pope Blessed Pius IX

“If you persevere in reciting the Rosary, this will be a most probable sign of your eternal salvation.”
~Blessed Alan de la Roche

“The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary.”
~Saint Francis de Sales

“When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer.”
~Saint Louis de Montfort

“The Holy Rosary is the storehouse of countless blessing.”
~Blessed Alan de la Roche

“One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, I will save the world.”
~Our Lady to Saint Dominic

“If you say the Rosary faithfully unto death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins, ‘you will receive a never-fading crown of glory’ (1 St. Peter 5:4).”
~Saint Louis de Montfort

“The Rosary is THE weapon.”
~Padre Pio

“You must know that when you ‘hail’ Mary, she immediately greets you! Don’t think that she is one of those rude women of whom there are so many—on the contrary, she is utterly courteous and pleasant. If you greet her, she will answer you right away and converse with you!”
~Saint Bernardine of Siena

“Recite your Rosary with faith, with humility, with confidence, and with perseverance.”
~Saint Louis de Montfort

“The Rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers; it is the prayer that touches most the Heart of the Mother of God…and if you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the family Rosary.”
~Pope Saint Pius X

“Never will anyone who says his Rosary every day become a formal heretic or be led astray by the devil.”
~Saint Louis de Montfort

“Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in hell, even if you have sold your soul to the devil as sorcerers do who practice black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a devil, sooner or later you will be converted and will amend your life and will save your soul, if—and mark well what I say—if you say the Holy Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins.”
~Saint Louis de Montfort

“The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families…that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.”
~Sister Lucia dos Santos, Fatima seer

“When you say your Rosary, the angels rejoice, the Blessed Trinity delights in it, my Son finds joy in it too, and I myself am happier than you can possibly guess. After the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, there is nothing in the Church that I love as much as the Rosary.”
~Our Lady to Blessed Alan de la Roche

“‘Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee!’ No creature has ever said anything that was more pleasing to me, nor will anyone ever be able to find or say to me anything that pleases me more.”
~Our Lady to Saint Mechtilde

“We never give more honour to Jesus than when we honour his Mother, and we honour her simply and solely to honour him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek – Jesus, her Son.”
~Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

“The greatest saints, those richest in grace and virtue will be the most assiduous in praying to the most Blessed Virgin, looking up to her as the perfect model to imitate and as a powerful helper to assist them.”
~Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

“Mary having co-operated in our redemption with so much glory to God and so much love for us, Our Lord ordained that no one shall obtain salvation except through her intercession.’
~St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

“Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary.”
~St. Bonaventure

“To give worthy praise to the Lord’s mercy, we unite ourselves with Your Immaculate Mother, for then our hymn will be more pleasing to You, because She is chosen from among men and angels. Through Her, as through a pure crystal, Your mercy was passed on to us. Through Her, man became pleasing to God; Through Her, streams of grace flowed down upon us.” (1746)
~Sr. Faustina

“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.”
~Saint Maximilian Kolbe

“Before, by yourself, you couldn’t. Now, you’ve turned to our Lady, and with her, how easy!”
~Josemaria Escriva

“In dangers, in doubts, in difficulties, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let not her name depart from your lips, never suffer it to leave your heart. And that you may obtain the assistance of her prayer, neglect not to walk in her footsteps. With her for guide, you shall never go astray; while invoking her, you shall never lose heart; so long as she is in your mind, you are safe from deception; while she holds your hand, you cannot fall; under her protection you have nothing to fear; if she walks before you, you shall not grow weary; if she shows you favor, you shall reach the goal.”
~Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Father and Doctor of the Church

“O sinner, be not discouraged, but have recourse to Mary in all you necessities. Call her to your assistance, for such is the divine Will that she should help in every kind of necessity.”
~Saint Basil the Great

“Mary, give me your Heart: so beautiful, so pure, so immaculate; your Heart so full of love and humility that I may be able to receive Jesus in the Bread of Life and love Him as you love Him and serve Him in the distressing guise of the poor.”
~Mother Teresa

“If you invoke the Blessed Virgin when you are tempted, she will come at once to your help, and Satan will leave you.”
~St. John Vianney

“When we were little, we kept close to our mother in a dark alley or if dogs barked at us. Now, when we feel temptations of the flesh, we should run to the side of our Mother in Heaven, by realizing how she is to us, and by means of aspirations. She will defend us and lead us to the light.”
~Josemaria Escriva

“The Immaculate alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. She seeks souls that will consecrate themselves entirely to her, that will become in her hands forceful instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spread of God’s kingdom.”
~St. Maximilian Kolbe

“If you ever feel distressed during your day — call upon our Lady — just say this simple prayer: ‘Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.’ I must admit — this prayer has never failed me.”
~Mother Teresa

“Love our Lady. And she will obtain abundant grace to help you conquer in your daily struggle.”
~Josemaria Escriva

“Have confidence. Return. Invoke our Lady and you’ll be faithful.”
~Josemaria Escriva

“So your strength is failing you? Why don’t you tell your mother about it? . . . Mother! Call her with a loud voice. She is listening to you; she sees you in danger, perhaps, and she—your holy mother Mary—offers you, along with the grace of her son, the refuge of her arms, the tenderness of her embrace . . . and you will find yourself with added strength for the new battle.”
~Josemaria Escriva

“All the sins of your life seem to be rising up against you. Don’t give up hope! On the contrary, call your holy mother Mary, with the faith and abandonment of a child. She will bring peace to your soul.”
~Josemaria Escriva

“May I give you some advice for you to put into practice daily? When your heart makes you feel those low cravings, say slowly to the Immaculate Virgin: Look on me with compassion. Don’t abandon me. Don’t abandon me, my Mother! — And recommend this prayer to others.”
~Josemaria Escriva

“When you see the storm coming, if you seek safety in that firm refuge which is Mary, there will be no danger of your wavering or going down.”
~Josemaria Escriva

“Only after the Last Judgment will Mary get any rest; from now until then, she is much too busy with her children.”
~St. John Vianney

“To serve the Queen of Heaven is already to reign there, and to live under her commands is more than to govern.”
~St. John Vianney

“Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.”
~Saint Francis de Sales

“After the love which we owe Jesus Christ, we must give the chief place in our heart to the love of His Mother Mary.”
~St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

“With reason did the Most Holy Virgin predict that all generations would call her blessed, for all the Elect obtain eternal salvation through the means of Mary.”
~Saint Ildephonsus, Bishop

“No one will ever be the servant of the Son without serving the Mother.”
~Saint Ildephonsus, Bishop

“Devotion to you, O Blessed Virgin, is a means of salvation which God gives to those whom he wishes to save.”
~Saint John Damascene

“There is no one, O Most Holy Mary, who can know God except through thee; no one who can be saved or redeemed but through thee, O Mother of God; no one who can be delivered from dangers but through thee, O Virgin Mother; no one who obtains mercy but through thee, O Filled-With-All-Grace!”
~Saint Germanus of Constantinople, Patriarch of Constantinople

“For if we are bidden to honor carnal fathers and mothers, how much more the spiritual? . . . If this virtue of charity has been overlooked, a man will lose any fruit of salvation in any good he may do.”
~Pope Saint Gregory VII

“It is impossible to save one’s soul without devotion to Mary and without her protection.”
~Saint Anselm, Archbishop and Doctor of the Church

“Not only do they offend thee, O Lady, who outrage thee, but thou art also offended by those who neglect to ask thy favors . . . He who neglects the service of the Blessed Virgin will die in his sins . . . He who does not invoke thee, O Lady, will never get to Heaven . . . Not only will those from whom Mary turns her countenance not be saved, but there will be no hope of their salvation . . . No one can be saved without the protection of Mary.
~Saint Bonaventure, Cardinal-Bishop and Doctor of the Church

“We may seek graces, but shall never find them without the intercession of Mary.”
~Saint Cajetan, Founder of the Theatines

“I have great doubts about the salvation of those who do not have special devotion to Mary.”
~Saint Francis Borgia

“It seems unbelievable that a man should perish in whose favor Christ said to His Mother: ‘Behold thy son’, provided that he has not turned a deaf ear to the words, which Christ addressed to him: ‘Behold thy Mother.’”
~Saint Robert Bellarmine, Cardinal-Bishop and Doctor of the Church

“A man is no true Christian if he has no devotion to the Mother of Jesus Christ.”
~Saint John Eudes

“All true children of God have God for their father and Mary for his mother; anyone who does not have Mary for his mother, does not have God for his father.”
~Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

“Let not that man presumes to look for mercy from God who offends His Holy Mother!”
~Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

“For God, having given her power over his only-begotten and natural Son, also gave her power over his adopted children – not only in what concerns their body – which would be of little account – but also in what concerns their soul.”
~Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

“We must conclude that, being necessary to God by a necessity which is called “hypothetical”, (that is, because God so willed it), the Blessed Virgin is all the more necessary for men to attain their final end. Consequently we must not place devotion to her on the same level as devotion to the other saints as if it were merely something optional.”
~Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

“The pious and learned Jesuit, Suarez, Justus Lipsius, a devout and erudite theologian of Louvain, and many others have proved incontestably that devotion to our Blessed Lady is necessary to attain salvation. This they show from the teaching of the Fathers, notably St. Augustine, St. Ephrem, deacon of Edessa, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Germanus of Constantinople, St. John Damascene, St. Anselm, St. Bernard, St. Bernardine, St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure. Even according to Oecolampadius and other heretics, lack of esteem and love for the Virgin Mary is an infallible sign of God’s disapproval. On the other hand, to be entirely and genuinely devoted to her is a sure sign of God’s approval.”
~Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

“The Son of God became man for our salvation but only in Mary and through Mary.”
~Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

“If devotion to the Blessed Virgin is necessary for all men simply to work out their salvation, it is even more necessary for those who are called to a special perfection. I do not believe that anyone can acquire intimate union with our Lord and perfect fidelity to the Holy Spirit without a very close union with the most Blessed Virgin and an absolute dependence on her support.”
~Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

“From day to day, from moment to moment, she increased so much this twofold plenitude that she attained an immense and inconceivable degree of grace. So much so, that the Almighty made her the sole custodian of his treasures and the sole dispenser of his graces. She can now ennoble, exalt and enrich all she chooses. She can lead them along the narrow path to heaven and guide them through the narrow gate to life. She can give a royal throne, sceptre and crown to whom she wishes. Jesus is always and everywhere the fruit and Son of Mary and Mary is everywhere the genuine tree that bears that Fruit of life, the true Mother who bears that Son.”
~Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

“The greatest saints, those richest in grace and virtue will be the most assiduous in praying to the most Blessed Virgin, looking up to her as the perfect model to imitate and as a powerful helper to assist them.”
~Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

“Woe to those who despise devotion to Mary! . . . The soul cannot live without having recourse to Mary and recommending itself to her. He falls and is lost who does not have recourse to Mary.”
~Saint Alphonsus Maria Liguori, Doctor of the Church and Founder of the Redemptorists

“The honor of Mary is so intimately connected with the honor and glory of Jesus that to deny the one is at the same time a denial of the other.”
~Fr. William Joseph Chaminade

“To desire grace without recourse to the Virgin Mother is to desire to fly without wings.”
~Pope Pius XII, 1876-1958 AD

“The conflict with Hell cannot be maintained by men, even the most clever. The Immaculata alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan.”
~Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Martyr

“Jesus honored her before all ages, and will honor her for all ages. No one comes to Him, nor even near Him, no one is saved or sanctified, if he too will not honor her. This is the lot of Angels and of men.”
~Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Martyr

“If anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his Mother, he will not have Christ for his Brother.”
~Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Martyr, 1894-1941 AD

“Always stay close to this Heavenly Mother, because she is the sea to be crossed to reach the shores of Eternal Splendour.”
~Padre Pio, 1887-1968 AD

“In trial or difficulty I have recourse to Mother Mary, whose glance alone is enough to dissipate every fear.”
~Saint Therese of Lisieux

“What a joy to remember that she [Mary] is our Mother! Since she loves us and knows our weakness, what have we to fear?”
~Saint Therese of Lisieux

“The clients of this most merciful Mother are very fortunate. She helps them both in this life and in the next, consoling them and sponsoring their cause in Purgatory. For the simple reason that the Souls in Purgatory need help so desperately, since they cannot help themselves, our Mother of Mercy does so much more to relieve them. She exercises over these Poor Souls, who are the spouses of Christ, particular dominion, with power to relieve them and even deliver them from their pains. See how important it is then to have devotion to this good Lady, because she never forgets her servants as long as they suffer in these flames. If she helps all the Poor Souls, she is especially indulgent and consoling to her own clients.”
~Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church, The Glories of Mary

“You are My Mother, the Mother of Mercy, and the consolation of the souls in Purgatory.”
~Saint Bridget to our Lady

“Mary seeks for those who approach her devoutly and with reverence, for such she loves, nourishes, and adopts as her children.”
~Saint Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church

“Mary has the authority over the angels and the blessed in heaven. As a reward for her great humility, God gave her the power and mission of assigning to saints the thrones made vacant by the apostate angels who fell away through pride. Such is the will of the almighty God who exalts the humble, that the powers of heaven, earth and hell, willingly or unwillingly, must obey the commands of the humble Virgin Mary. For God has made her queen of heaven and earth, leader of his armies, keeper of his treasure, dispenser of his graces, mediatrix on behalf of men, destroyer of his enemies, and faithful associate in his great works and triumphs.”
~Saint Louis Marie de Montfort, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin

“All true children of God have God for their father and Mary for his mother; anyone who does not have Mary for his mother, does not have God for his father.”
~Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

“If anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his Mother, he will not have Christ for his Brother.”
~Saint Maximilian Kolbe

“Let us not imagine that we obscure the glory of the Son by the great praise we lavish on the Mother; for the more she is honored, the greater is the glory of her Son. There can be no doubt that whatever we say in praise of the Mother gives equal praise to the Son.”
~Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Father and Doctor of the Church

“No matter how sinful one may have been, if he has devotion to Mary, it is impossible that he be lost.”
~Saint Hilary of Poitiers – Bishop, Father, and Doctor of the Church

“Seek refuge in Mary because she is the city of refuge. We know that Moses set up three cities of refuge for anyone who inadvertently killed his neighbor. Now the Lord has established a refuge of mercy, Mary, even for those who deliberately commit evil. Mary provides shelter and strength for the sinner.”
~Saint Anthony of Padua, Doctor of the Church

“If anyone does not believe that Holy Mary is the Mother of God, such a one is a stranger to the Godhead.”
~Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Father and Doctor of the Church

“Prayer is powerful beyond limits when we turn to the Immaculata who is queen even of God’s heart.”
~Saint Maximilian Kolbe

“She is more Mother than Queen.”
~Saint Therese of Lisieux

“In that first ‘fusion’ with Jesus (holy communion), it was my Heavenly Mother again who accompanied me to the altar for it was she herself who placed her Jesus into my soul.”
~Saint Therese of Lisieux

“In trial or difficulty I have recourse to Mother Mary, whose glance alone is enough to dissipate every fear.”
~Saint Therese of Lisieux

“Think of what the Saints have done for their neighbor because they loved God. But what Saint’s love for God can match Mary’s? She loved Him more in the first moment of her existence than all the Saints and angels ever loved Him or will love Him. Our Lady herself revealed to Sister Mary Crucified that the fire of her love was most extreme. If Heaven and earth were placed in it, they would be instantly consumed. And the ardors of the seraphim, compared with it, are like cool breezes. Just as there is not one among all the Blessed who loves God as Mary does, so there is no one, after God, who loves us as much as this most loving Mother does. Furthermore, if we heaped together all the love that mothers have for their children, all the love of husbands and wives, all the love of all the angels and Saints for their clients, it could never equal Mary’s love for even a single soul.”
~Saint Alphonsus Liguori, The Glories of Mary

“Do not marvel at the novelty of the thing, if a Virgin gives birth to God”
~Saint Jerome, Father and Doctor of the Church

“Even while living in the world, the heart of Mary was so filled with motherly tenderness and compassion for men that no-one ever suffered so much for their own pains, as Mary suffered for the pains of her children.”
~Saint Jerome, Father and Doctor of the Church

“The world being unworthy to receive the Son of God directly from the hands of the Father, he gave his Son to Mary for the world to receive him from her.”
~Saint Augustine, Father and Doctor of the Church

“As mariners are guided into port by the shining of a star, so Christians are guided to heaven by Mary.”
~Saint Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church

“Let us then cast ourselves at the feet of this good Mother, and embracing them let us not depart until she blesses us, and accepts us for her children.”
~Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Father and Doctor of the Church

“That one woman is both mother and virgin, not in spirit only but even in body. In spirit she is mother, not of our head, who is our Savior himself—of whom all, even she herself, are rightly called children of the bridegroom—but plainly she is the mother of us who are his members, because by love she has cooperated so that the faithful, who are the members of that head, might be born in the Church. In body, indeed, she is the Mother of that very head.”
~Saint Augustine, Father and Doctor of the Church

“The Virgin Mary, being obedient to his word, received from an angel the glad tidings that she would bear God.”
~Saint Irenaeus, Father of the Church

“Let us run to her, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.”
~Saint Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church

“The day of the Nativity of the Mother of God is a day of universal joy, because through the Mother of God, the entire human race was renewed, and the sorrow of the first mother, Eve, was transformed into joy.”
~Saint John Damascene, Father and Doctor of the Church

“There is no danger of exaggerating. We never hope to fathom this inexpressible mystery nor will we ever be able to give sufficient thanks to our Mother for bringing us into such intimacy with the Blessed Trinity.”
~Josemaria Escriva

“May the Mother of Jesus and our Mother, always smile on your spirit, obtaining for it, from her Most Holy Son, every heavenly blessing.”
~Padre Pio

“Always stay close to this Heavenly Mother, because she is the sea to be crossed to reach the shores of Eternal Splendour.”
~Padre Pio

“Let us bind ourselves tightly to the Sorrowful Heart of our Heavenly Mother and reflect on it’s boundless grief and how precious is our soul.”
~Padre Pio

“Let the storm rage and the sky darken – not for that shall we be dismayed. If we trust as we should in Mary, we shall recognize in her, the Virgin Most Powerful ‘who with virginal foot did crush the head of the serpent’.”
~Pope Saint Pius X

“The reason why Christ is unknown today is because His Mother is unknown.”
~Cardinal John Henry Newman

“I am not only the Queen of Heaven, but also the Mother of Mercy.”
~Our Lady to Sister Faustina

“Whosoever shall die wearing my Scapular shall not suffer the flames of Hell.”
~Our Lady of Mount Carmel

“Even while living in this world, the heart of Mary was so filled with tenderness and compassion for men, that no one ever suffered so much for his own pains as Mary suffered for the pains of others.”
~St. Jerome

“O sinner, be not discouraged, but have recourse to Mary in all you necessities. Call her to your assistance, for such is the divine Will that she should help in every kind of necessity.”
~Saint Basil the Great

“Happy, indeed sublimely happy, is the person to whom the Holy Spirit reveals the secret of Mary, thus imparting to him true knowledge of her. Happy the person to whom the Holy Spirit opens this enclosed garden for him to enter, and to whom the Holy Spirit gives access to this sealed fountain where he can draw water and drink deep draughts of the living waters of grace. That person will find only grace and no creature in the most lovable Virgin Mary. But he will find that the infinitely holy and exalted God is at the same time infinitely solicitous for him and understands his weaknesses. Since God is everywhere, he can be found everywhere, even in hell. But there is no place where God can be more present to his creature and more sympathetic to human weakness than in Mary. It was indeed for this very purpose that he came down from heaven. Everywhere else he is the Bread of the strong and the Bread of angels, but living in Mary he is the Bread of children.”
~from The Secret of Mary, by Saint Louis Marie de Montfort