The Mother of All Peoples

Although it is clear in papal teachings that Mary at least exercises a secondary moral cause in the distribution of all the graces of Redemption in virtue of her intercession, it is also a tenable position that Mary does influence a direct, immediate effect on the distribution of graces (although wholly dependent on Jesus Christ as the principal cause of grace).

The great St. Louis Marie de Montfort clearly teaches Mary's instrumental causality in the distribution of graces when he teaches "God the Father communicated to Mary his fullness…to produce his son and all the members of his Mystical Body…. (61) (Christ) has made her the treasurer of all that his Father gave him for his inheritance. It is by her that he applies his merits to his members and that he communicates his virtues and distributes his graces. She is his mysterious canal; she is his aqueduct through which he makes his mercies flow gently and abundantly." (62)

As one contemporary author explains: "Once it is granted that the angels and the saints are frequently physical secondary causes of miracles, it seems quite natural to postulate the same power for the Mother of God and in a higher degree." (63) Another explanation of Mary's physical instrumentality in regards to the sacraments is as follows: "Grace begins in the Divine Nature (of Christ), passes through the sacred humanity of Christ (a physical instrument), passes through Mary (also a physical instrument), and finally passes through the sacrament (also a physical instrument)." (64)

There are also several images of Mary as Mediatrix from the realm of authentic Marian private revelation. The Miraculous Medal apparitions (1830), Lourdes (1854), Fatima (1917), and several other contemporary Marian apparitions, all portray Mary as distributing the graces of God from the opened palms of her immaculate hands. Although not in the realm of public revelation, authentic Marian private revelation seems to confirm symbolically the possibility of Mary's physical distribution of graces.

A more domestic model of Mary as Mediatrix of all graces is the image of Mary as "Nursing Mother." As she physically did with her first Child, Mary spiritually takes all humanity to her breast to nourish them with the spiritual milk of supernatural grace.

Regardless of the diversity of these images and concepts regarding Mary's role as Mediatrix of all graces, all authentic images of Mary in this regard will convey the truth that Mary distributes the graces of Jesus in obedience to the Father, in the service of the Son, and in union with the Holy Spirit. As St. Bernard of Clairvaux, traditionally referred to as the "Doctor of Marian Mediation," explains:

Responses to certain theological objections to the Mediatrix of all grace doctrine appear in Chapter Ten, Responding to Ten Common Objections.

Advocate

The third aspect of Our Lady's spiritual motherhood and her mediation at the service of God and man is her role as Advocate for the human family. As her role as Co-redemptrix participated in the acquisition of grace with Jesus, and her role as Mediatrix of all graces participates in the distribution of grace from Jesus to humanity, Our Lady's role as Advocate presents by way of her universal intercession the petitioned needs of the human family before the throne of Christ the King.

The term, "advocate," is derived from the Latin term, "advocare," which means to "speak on behalf of another." This is precisely Mary's motherly role as Advocate, to speak as our principal and most powerful intercessor to her divine Son on behalf of the human race. The title of Advocate for the Mother of God is one of her most ancient titles, dating back to the second century with St. Irenaeus, who called Mary the "Advocate" for Eve, the first Mother of the living. (66)

In the Old Testament, Our Lady's role as Advocate is foreshadowed in the office of the "Queen Mother." As stated earlier, the Queen Mother tradition refers to the tradition among the Davidic kings to appoint their mothers as their queens of the Kingdom, and who then became the principal advocates for the people of Israel to their kingly sons (cf. 1 Kings 2:19). The Queen-Mother was referred to as the "Gebirah" or "Great Lady" of the Kingdom, who gave the people of the kingdom their greatest intercession to the King. The Queen Mother, the "Great Lady" was therefore the principal advocate and intercessor for the people of the Kingdom.

In the New Testament, with the establishment of Jesus Christ as the new and eternal King in the universal Kingdom of God (cf. Lk. 1:32ff.), we also have the establishment of a new Queen Mother and Advocate, who is Mother of the King. The Virgin of Nazareth becomes the new "Great Lady" of all nations contained within the Kingdom of God, and as well becomes the new Advocate for all the peoples within this universal Kingdom. It is for this reason that her cousin Elizabeth greets Mary with the expression, "Mother of my Lord," which was an ancient expression for the Queen Mother in the language of the ancient Semitic courts. (67)

Moreover, the new Queen Mother in the Kingdom of Christ the King performs her role as Advocate for the needs of the people of the kingdom by presenting her Kingly Son with the needs of the wedding couple at Cana, and thus interceding for the first public miracle of Christ (cf. Jn. 2:1-10). Mary, Queen and Advocate is the woman clothed with the sun who is also crowned with a crown of twelve stars in Revelation 12:1, referring to her Queenly role in the Kingdom which came forth from the twelve tribes of Israel and which now reigns over the twelve Apostles and all Christ's disciples in the new and universal kingdom. She is subsequently the principal intercessor for all peoples under the authority of Christ the King, and brings our petitioned needs to the attention of our Redeemer-King. Our Lady's Advocacy is as extensive as the Kingdom of her Son—a universal kingdom and a universal advocacy for God's people through their Queen.

The early Church acknowledged Our Lady's powerful advocacy as visible once again in the Sub Tuum prayer of the Christian faithful under persecution: "We fly to your patronage, O holy Mother of God. Despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers, O ever glorious and blessed Virgin." (68) Later prayers to our Lady, such as the early medieval prayer "Hail, Holy Queen," combine the themes of Marian queenship and advocacy. (69)

The Papal Magisterium officially teaches the doctrine of Mary's Advocacy for the human family and also ties it with Our Lady's Queenship, as evidenced in this statement by Pope St. Pius X:

Pope Pius XI encourages the youth of this modern age to seek out the assistance of Mary, "our daily Mediatrix, our true Advocate":

Pius XII explains the task of Mary, Advocate with her Son, in her intercessory and conciliatory role on behalf of sinners:

The Second Vatican Council refers to the Advocate title as one in which we rightly invoke the intercession of the Virgin Mother (cf. Lumen Gentium, No. 62), and Pope John Paul invoked Our Lady's powerful advocacy in the midst of today's cosmic struggle for good and evil in his March 25, 1984, consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

The doctrinal role of Mary as Advocate, along with her roles of Co-redemptrix and Mediatrix of all graces, manifest the three principal aspects in which our Spiritual Mother exercises her maternal love for the Church: as the "Mother Suffering" (Co-redemptrix); the "Mother Nourishing" (Mediatrix of all graces), and the "Mother Pleading" (Advocate). Indeed as all earthly mothers are called to suffer, nourish, and intercede for their children, so does the Spiritual Mother of all peoples exercise these same maternal functions for her children on earth.

May all her earthly children open their hearts to the Spiritual Mother given them as a personal gift by the Crucified Lord himself (cf. Jn. 19:25-27), and may these three maternal roles of Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix of all graces and Advocate be soon recognized solemnly by the papal Magisterium for the greatest possible appreciation, acceptance, and understanding by the Church and the world of the Immaculate Mother of God, given to us to be our own, and to enable her to most fully exercise these roles on our behalf, based upon the Church's free and full acceptance of these roles.

Mary's Queenship

Another aspect of Mary's spiritual motherhood in close relation to her role as Advocate is the Queenship of Mary. Queenship can be understood in one of two ways. A queen can be a "female king" or independent ruler of a kingdom, or she can be the mother or spouse of the king. It is only in the second relative sense that Mary is rightly understood as Queen, as true Mother of Christ the "King," whose kingdom is the Mystical Body.