- Discussion:
-Roman Catholic Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira once gave a devotional commentary on a Marian prayer composed by Bernard of Clairvaux, with an excerpt (from Dr. Plinio's writing) being presented as follows:
"Our Lady, as an omnipotent Mediatrix with God, solves everything. I need help from her for things big and small. For the ordinary, as for the enormous.
And although the things of apostolate may seem very complicated, very committed, I must trust in Our Lady to resolve; I put my trust in her and do not think of anything else.
This applies even more to our spiritual life. Our Lady called us to the TFP, and within the [vocation of] the TFP calls us to holiness. If She calls us to holiness, She will not interrupt the work that She began and will lead us there if we can trust.
Someone will say, "Dr. Plinio, beautiful words ... In reality, they are empty and do not correspond to anything, because if I sin I am creating obstacles to the action of Our Lady. And if I am creating obstacles to the action of Our Lady, I can not suppose that She will sanctify me. I mean, you are saying something that is very beautiful, but that is worthless, has no consistency. It's a chimera. "
The answer is right here in St. Bernard. Although we have the great pain of having offended Our Lady, even though she has the pain of having seriously offended, we must continue to trust in her. Because if we distrust her, then everything is lost. The door of Heaven is She! And if we, by our lack of confidence, close the door of Heaven, we condemn ourselves."
My initial reaction upon reading Bernard's prayer to Mary was that of shock, as his petitions to her sound identical to the pleas of the Old Testament Psalmists toward God. Plinio's reflection on this prayer is also disturbing in that he calls "Our Lady" the "omnipotent Mediatrix with God" and the door of heaven. This is idolatry at its finest.
For those interested in what the prayer says, here is an excerpt from the page which requires translation (due to being in a foreign language):
"For my sake, O Mother, I will wait only in You, only in You after God. And the whole foundation of my hope will be my trust even in your maternal goodness.
"My dearest Mother, may I lose my good graces for the poor and the poor." "Dearest Mary, may the evil ones rob me of the reputation and the little good I possess. sin.
"But my loving trust in your maternal goodness, this I will never lose, I will keep it, this unswerving confidence until my last breath."
We should be placing this much confidence and hope in God alone. The truth of the matter is that Mary was an ordinary human being who cannot intercede for sinful man. Those Roman Catholic apologists, who go miles to deny the charge of Mariolatry, are so full of themselves; defending that which cannot be reasonably defended.
"Our Lady, as an omnipotent Mediatrix with God, solves everything. I need help from her for things big and small. For the ordinary, as for the enormous.
And although the things of apostolate may seem very complicated, very committed, I must trust in Our Lady to resolve; I put my trust in her and do not think of anything else.
This applies even more to our spiritual life. Our Lady called us to the TFP, and within the [vocation of] the TFP calls us to holiness. If She calls us to holiness, She will not interrupt the work that She began and will lead us there if we can trust.
Someone will say, "Dr. Plinio, beautiful words ... In reality, they are empty and do not correspond to anything, because if I sin I am creating obstacles to the action of Our Lady. And if I am creating obstacles to the action of Our Lady, I can not suppose that She will sanctify me. I mean, you are saying something that is very beautiful, but that is worthless, has no consistency. It's a chimera. "
The answer is right here in St. Bernard. Although we have the great pain of having offended Our Lady, even though she has the pain of having seriously offended, we must continue to trust in her. Because if we distrust her, then everything is lost. The door of Heaven is She! And if we, by our lack of confidence, close the door of Heaven, we condemn ourselves."
My initial reaction upon reading Bernard's prayer to Mary was that of shock, as his petitions to her sound identical to the pleas of the Old Testament Psalmists toward God. Plinio's reflection on this prayer is also disturbing in that he calls "Our Lady" the "omnipotent Mediatrix with God" and the door of heaven. This is idolatry at its finest.
For those interested in what the prayer says, here is an excerpt from the page which requires translation (due to being in a foreign language):
"For my sake, O Mother, I will wait only in You, only in You after God. And the whole foundation of my hope will be my trust even in your maternal goodness.
"My dearest Mother, may I lose my good graces for the poor and the poor." "Dearest Mary, may the evil ones rob me of the reputation and the little good I possess. sin.
"But my loving trust in your maternal goodness, this I will never lose, I will keep it, this unswerving confidence until my last breath."
We should be placing this much confidence and hope in God alone. The truth of the matter is that Mary was an ordinary human being who cannot intercede for sinful man. Those Roman Catholic apologists, who go miles to deny the charge of Mariolatry, are so full of themselves; defending that which cannot be reasonably defended.
