In his book, The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (Rockford, Ill.: TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., 1992 [originally published 1874]), Fr. Michael Müller (1825-1899) wrote the following about Mary’s role in salvation in Chapter 30, “Mass, the Joy of the Blessed Virgin” (pp. 350-61):
The Blessed Virgin is that blessed tabernacle in whom the Son of God was conceived, made man, and dwelt for nine months. Her Son is the divine Victim that we offer at Mass to the Eternal Father: to her, after God, we are indebted most for this divine Victim; for unless Mary had consented to become His Mother, Jesus would not have been born. Divine grace no doubt disposed her to acquiescence, but the act was not the less one of her own free unfettered will, an act which it was in her power to have refused, and by refusing to have thwarted the divine plans. (p. 350, emphasis added)
“After the days of Mary’s purification,” according to the law of Moses, “were accomplished,” says the Gospel, “they carried the divine Infant to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.” Here is a new and important instance of the agency of Mary. It was no empty ceremony, that offering and redemption of the infant redeemer. “He was offered,” says the prophet Isaias, “because it was in his own will.” (Is. 53:7). It was the first instalment of the sacrifice which from eternity He had designed to make; when, in the language of the Psalmist, He said, “Behold, I come; in the head of the book it is written of me, that I should do thy will. O my God, I have desired it, and thy law in the midst of my heart.” (Ps. 39:8, 9). It was the symbolical and preparatory offering which was consummated on Calvary, and is perpetuated on our altars for a lasting memorial of His death, Resurrection, and Ascension.
That offering was made by the hands of Mary. He lay in the hands of His Blessed Mother passive, and seemingly helpless, with no visible sign of His greatness, as He lies today in the hands of His priest. The Omnipotent had taken upon Himself our infirmity, had adopted our weakness; He would not walk, or stand, or speak. Mary must therefore sustain Him, and express for Him the interior longing desire of His Eternal love to offer Himself to His Father for man, which had as yet found in Him no voice to make itself known or to carry out its intentions. Beneath the form of an infant, there lay concealed a divine energy. That Child was the very Word that created the world; but the conditions of our humanity, within which His infinite love had circumscribed Him, imposed silence upon Him, reduced His power to feebleness and inaction. Mary was chosen among all the generations of mankind to stand forth in the plenitude of grace and power, to supply the means of action to the infant God, to become for the time being the voice of the Eternal Word. (p. 351, emphasis added)
The time of Mass is the most favourable moment for asking the Blessed Virgin to exercise her maternal power, and obtain or us every blessing, both temporal and spiritual. To understand this, we must remember that as before death every father of a family makes his will, so did Jesus Christ make His will on the cross in concert with the Eternal Father. It remained sealed and hidden with regard to men, but was revealed to the Divine Mother as the co-operatrix in the Redemption. Our dear Saviour declared her heiress and testamentary executrix of His divine will, and all was remitted into her hands, as the Eternal Father had remitted all into those of His Son. Thus our great Queen was charged with the distribution of the treasures which belonged to her Son by virtue of His divinity, or had been acquired by His infinite merits. She was declared the depository of the riches of her Son, our Redeemer, that all graces, favors, and helps might be given us by the Holy Virgin, and that she might distribute them through her merciful and liberal hands.
If we remember the last will of our dear Saviour, if we think of the moment in which the Blessed Virgin was declared the depository of her Son’s wishes and the distributor of all His graces; if we remember that this privilege was bestowed upon her whilst her Son was consummating the great Sacrifice of atonement upon Mount Calvary, then it will be clear that she executes her Son’s wishes most cheerfully, and distributes to us His blessings and graces more abundantly at the very time when the great Sacrifice of the Cross is renewed, that is, during the time of the Holy Mass, for then is she at full liberty to distribute every one as many favors as he is capable of receiving. (pp. 358-59)
Again, such is further proof of the theological importance of having a correct understanding of Mariology, and the theological dangers of the high Mariology one finds within Roman Catholicism.
For more, be sure to check out my book, Behold the Mother of My Lord: Towards a Mormon Mariology.
