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In part of De Montfort's True Devotion
to Mary, I read that since Mary is in Heaven, she has the same privileges
and rights as God. The
passage also stated that while Jesus' rights and privileges
are divine, hers are given through grace. While
I believe she is full of grace and blessed as
the Mother of God, I have a hard time accepting
that she has the same amount of power and glory as Jesus.
Could anyone please explain this to
me?
Perhaps I'm missing something. The Catechism refers to the "merits of Christ and the
Saints".
Just what are the merits of the Saints and
how can they be applied to others?
If I do something charitable, can that act
later be used to aid a soul in Purgatory?
I don't get it!
If I were to ask one of the Apostles or Mary
to pray for me, how would God answer my prayer?
Would He answer it Himself, or would He just
tell Mary and the Saints to grant me my request,
if it be His will?
Also, in the Apostles Creed, we (Lutherans
and Catholics), state that Christ descended to
Hell.
Does the Catholic Church believe that Christ
descended to Hell or Purgatory?
If you believe that He descended into Purgatory,
why doesn't the Creed say that?
I'm just wondering. Thanks in advance for your answers.
These are questions that I can't find answers
to anywhere else.
God Bless,
Brenda
{ Does Mary have the same glory as Jesus, what are saintly merits, and where did Jesus descend to? }
Mary Ann replied:
Hi Brenda,
Thanks for the question.
The short answers are the following:
You don't have to believe anything in private revelation or in the
writings of the Saints
All merit, all grace, is of Christ, and
It's a different Hell — Biblical abode of the dead inclusively, not
the specific abode of the damned.
As for De Montfort's words, without rereading, I would say that
if he said what you attribute,
he meant that the Son of God has decided
that all His merits would be put in her hands for distribution to His brothers
and sisters.
Isn't that what a mother does?
She is like the Old Testament
Queen Mother, who always had dignity equal to that of the King.
As for the "merits of Saints", we Christians share all spiritual
goods in common. Also, any "merit" is a share in the merit of
Christ. So if a person has opened himself or herself more to God's grace,
by participating faithfully in the life of Christ, then that person is,
like Paul, able to help his brothers by this.
1 24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what
is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body,
which is the Church.
We see here that Paul's "meritorious suffering" is being offered
for the Christians in Colossi.
It is something Christ poured out upon us, to live in us and be shared.
And the sharing doesn't stop once we pass from this life.
As to "Hell", the Creed is referring to the Biblical abode of
the dead inclusively, not the specific abode of the damned. Though all
would be damned without Christ, because of God's plan of salvation already
at work in the world, those who sought righteousness could wait in some
way, and not being damned into that Hell. It was not Purgatory. Christ referred
to it as Abraham's bosom. In some way, Christ's visit opened the door to
Paradise for them.
There is a lovely story of Christ arriving in Limbo, or whatever you might
want to call the waiting place, where He goes to look, first of all, to Joseph.
Joseph hugs him and says anxiously,
"Son, tell me, how is your mother?"
Mary Ann
Eric replied:
Hi Brenda,
Thanks for the question.
I can't comment on what De Montfort wrote, as I am unfamiliar with it,
except to say that it is not an established teaching of Sacred Tradition.
It lacks historical evidence as a belief; therefore
I would take it with
a grain of salt. One must also consider the way of writing that was the
custom of the time.
The merits of the Saints are the good gifts which God gave them by His
grace, in terms of pleasing God. For example, feeding the poor on a particular
occasion would give one merit.
It's important to keep in mind that merits
are themselves gifts of God by grace. (See the Catechism, paragraphs 2008 and 2011.)
III. Merit
.
2008 The merit of man before God in the Christian life arises from the fact that God has freely chosen to associate man with the work of his grace. The fatherly action of God is first on his own initiative, and then follows man's free acting through his collaboration, so that the merit of good works is to be attributed in the first place to the grace of God, then to the faithful. Man's merit, moreover, itself is due to God, for his good actions proceed in Christ, from the predispositions and assistance given by the Holy Spirit.
2011 The charity of Christ is the source in us of all our merits before God. Grace, by uniting us to Christ in active love, ensures the supernatural quality of our acts and consequently their merit before God and before men. The saints have always had a lively awareness that their merits were pure grace.
After earth's exile, I hope to go and enjoy you in the fatherland, but I do not want to lay up merits for heaven. I want to work for your love alone. . . . In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you with empty hands, for I do not ask you, Lord, to count my works. All our justice is blemished in your eyes. I wish, then, to be clothed in your own justice and to receive from your love the eternal possession of yourself.
(St. Thérèse of Lisieux, "Act of Offering" in Story of a Soul, tr. John Clarke (Washington DC: ICS, 1981), 277.)
We merely
cooperate in them.
They can be applied to others because of the communion of saints, which
is a sharing of spiritual goods among those who are holy, (here, "saints" includes
us.)
1474 The Christian who seeks to purify himself of his sin and to become holy with the help of God's grace is not alone. "The life of each of God's children is joined in Christ and through Christ in a wonderful way to the life of all the other Christian brethren in the supernatural unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, as in a single mystical person." (Indulgentiarum Doctrina, 5)
1475 In the communion of saints, "a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things." (Indulgentiarum Doctrina, 5) In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin.
With the communion of saints, someone who has done a good deed can apply
the merit of that good deed to another person's well-being. So yes, if
you do something charitable, that act later can be used to aid a soul in
Purgatory.
As for how God answers the prayers (that the Saints pray for us), it's best to think of it as God answering the prayer Himself. It's dangerous to think
of Saints as having their own god-like power, since they aren't gods. They
are simply holy and righteous people, whose prayers
"are powerful and
effective" (James 5:16) on account of their holiness.
When the Creed says that Christ descended "into Hell", it does
not mean the Hell of the damned, but the Limbo of the Fathers, also known
as Hades or Sheol. "Hell" is a rather obsolete term for this
netherworld. In this realm, all of the souls of the dead resided before
the death of Christ. Jesus went there upon his death to take the righteous
ones away into Heaven.
Hope this answers most of your questions.
Eric
Terry replied:
Hi Brenda,
Thanks for the question.
Certainly, it is always the Godhead who works any miracle. By its very
definition, only God can work a miracle, but Mary (indeed, anyone, including
the Saints in Heaven, or the souls in Purgatory) can intercede for us.
Mary's intercession is especially powerful, since she is the closest human
to God, as evidenced by her Immaculate Conception.
Whilst on the subject
of intercession, let us never forget the Angels, especially St. Michael and
our special Guardian Angel, who has a unique responsibility towards us.
How the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel developed.
One day, after celebrating Mass, the aged Pope Leo XIII was in conference
with the Cardinals when suddenly he sank to the floor in a deep swoon.
Physicians who hastened to his side could find no trace of his pulse and
feared that he had expired. However, after a short interval the Holy Father
regained consciousness and exclaimed with great emotion: "Oh, what
a horrible picture I have been permitted to see!"
He had been shown a vision of evil spirits who had been released from
Hell and their efforts to destroy the Church. But in the midst of the horror
the archangel St. Michael appeared and cast Satan and his legions into
the abyss of Hell. Soon afterwards Pope Leo XIII composed the following
prayer to Saint Michael, which is the original version:
Original — Prayer to St. Michael
“O Glorious Prince of the heavenly host, St. Michael the Archangel, defend
us in the battle and in the terrible warfare that we are waging against the principalities
and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the evil spirits.
Come to the aid of man, whom Almighty God created immortal, made in His own image
and likeness, and redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of Satan.
Fight this day the battle of the Lord, together with the holy angels,
as already thou hast fought the leader of the proud angels, Lucifer, and
his apostate host, who were powerless to resist thee, nor was there place
for them any longer in Heaven. That cruel, ancient serpent, who is called
the devil or Satan who seduces the whole world, was cast into the abyss
with his angels. Behold, this primeval enemy and slayer of men has taken
courage. Transformed into an angel of light, he wanders about with all
the multitude of wicked spirits, invading the earth in order to blot out
the name of God and of His Christ, to seize upon, slay and cast into eternal
perdition souls destined for the crown of eternal glory. This wicked dragon
pours out, as a most impure flood, the venom of his malice on men of depraved
mind and corrupt heart, the spirit of lying, of impiety, of blasphemy,
and the pestilent breath of impurity, and of every vice and iniquity.
These most crafty enemies have filled and inebriated with gall
and bitterness the Church, the spouse of the immaculate Lamb, and have
laid impious hands on her most sacred possessions. In the Holy Place itself,
where the See of Holy Peter and the Chair of Truth has been set up as the
light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety,
with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck, the sheep
may be.
Arise then, O invincible Prince, bring help against the attacks
of the lost spirits to the people of God, and give them the victory. They
venerate thee as their protector and patron; in thee holy Church glories
as her defense against the malicious power of hell; to thee has God entrusted
the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude. Oh, pray to the
God of peace that He may put Satan under our feet, so far conquered that
he may no longer be able to hold men in captivity and harm the Church.
Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that they may quickly
find mercy in the sight of the Lord; and vanquishing the dragon, the ancient
serpent, who is the devil and Satan, do thou again make him captive in
the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations. Amen.
V. Behold the Cross of the Lord; be scattered ye hostile powers.
R. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered the root of David.
V. Let Thy mercies be upon us, O Lord.
R. As we have hoped in Thee.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
Let us pray.
O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon Thy holy Name,
and as supplicants, we implore Thy clemency, that by the intercession of
Mary, ever Virgin Immaculate and our Mother, and of the glorious St. Michael
the Archangel, Thou wouldst deign to help us against Satan and all the
other unclean spirits who wander about the world for the injury of the
human race and the ruin of souls. Amen.”
Roman Raccolta, July 23, 1898, supplement approved July 31, 1902, London: Burnes, Oates & Washbourne Ltd., 1935, 12th edition.
If you can send us the web page where you referenced the quotes from St.
Louis De Montfort,
we can probably explain things in context.
Terry
Brenda replied:
Hi, guys—
I'm sorry it's taken me so long to respond.
I was working on a Sociology paper with a totally boring subject when I
took a break to check my e-mail.
I found this quote on a Marian website:
"This devotion consists of surrendering oneself
in the manner of a slave to Mary and to Jesus, through her, and then performing
all our actions With Mary, in Mary, through Mary, and for Mary."
I understand this is a devotional practice but
it seems a little odd to me. While I don't discount the Saint's intercession,
I wouldn't say that I do things "for (or in) Mary".
The site also explains that many devotional practices strive to have the
believer "allow Mary to guide one's actions." Whoa, now, I find
that really strange.
What about the Holy Spirit?
Where does He fit into
all this?
Thanks, and have a Blessed Holy Week.
Brenda
Richard replied:
Hi Brenda,
Thanks for the question.
A couple of quick notes just to start with:
The writer's certainly correct when she indicates that Mary doesn't
have the same nature
as Jesus: she is of course a human being, whereas
He is divine and human (with two natures united in one person). We need
to explain that Mary's role in dispensing graces is based in her relationship
with the Lord, not a power separate from His. Maybe de Montfort himself
does this.
The phrase "descended to Hell" is a misleading translation.
The phrase in Latin is descendit ad inferos: that's "descended
to the lower places" or "to the underworld", you might
say; it's a concept broad enough to include Purgatory and such conjectured
places as the "Limbo of the Fathers", where the souls, of those
who died before Christ, awaited redemption from death.
The text of the Apostles' Creed is very old, with parts of it dating to
the 200s, which is probably a time before the technical word "Purgatory" became
established in Christian thought.
The idea of purification after death, though, does date to the earliest
times, appearing in early Christian writers such as Tertullian and Origen.
The history of the concept of Purgatory is described in the Catholic Encyclopedia
on New Advent:
