Suppliant Omnipotence
by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
In an act of His infinite
goodness, the Incarnation of the Word in the most pure bosom of Mary, God created
the links that bound Himself to mankind. And Mary,
becoming His Mother, likewise became the spiritual Mother of all men.
Thus, when she petitions her Divine Son for
us, it is as a mother who intercedes with one of her sons on behalf of his
brother. It is impossible not to attend her. Because of this, theologians
attribute to Our Lady the title "Suppliant Omnipotence." By virtue of
her unfathomable perfections, God always hears her prayers on our behalf, and
she obtains from Him what we could not merit by ourselves.
An example will illustrate this truth.
Imagine a mother who has two sons. One,
upright and honest, serves as a judge; the other is simply a criminal, whom his
brother is going to judge.
What happens then?
The mother appeals to her son the
magistrate, saying, "My son, I know that you are the judge and that to you
falls the administration of justice. Your brother's wrongdoings are such as to
deserve the death penalty. In truth, however, you, O judge, equally owe me your
life. Spare this man who merits capital punishment, in compliance with the
requests of her who gave you birth.
What son would refuse such an affectionate
request?
The intercession of Mary on behalf of
sinful humanity is similar to this. And since she is the Mother of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, He concedes her everything that the best of sons can give the
best of mothers.
Such is the value of Our Lady's impetration
that, according to the teaching of theology, all the prayers of all creatures
must be presented to her adorable Son through her, for thus has the Divine Will
disposed.
This is the Mother of indescribable
sweetness, of unlimited compassion towards her miserable sons, for whom she
obtains of the Judge pardon and graces.
How many examples attest to this untiring
solicitude of Mary towards men! Amongst others, one may take the example of the
Good Thief. The Divine Crucified, attending the supplications of His Mother at
the foot of the Cross, pardoned him at the final hour with that stupendous
promise: "Today, thou shalt be with Me in
One thus understands the importance of Our
Lady's intercession, relieving our arduous existence and filling our souls with
jubilation. How the life of a Catholic would be somber
were it not for the Virgin's protection. On the
contrary, how light it is, how full of hope, pardon, and maternal affection
with the continuous assistance of Mary, the Omnipotent Supplicant!
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(Crusade,
Sept-Oct 1996, from a conference on September 21, 1991)