Catholic Mariologist Luigi Gambero, presents the following from the writings of Bernardine De Bustis (d. ca. 1515) which addressed the questions: (1) did Mary attended the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist, and, if so, (2) what were the reasons for such, as she was without personal sin (and in Bustis’ theology, also without original sin, too, following Duns Scotus, a fellow Franciscan). Writing in Mariale, fol. 120v, de Bustis wrote:
Mary Received the Sacrament of Penance
Mary did not sin, but that was no obstacle [to her receiving the sacrament of penance]. It is characteristic of the spiritually good to acknowledge fault where there is no fault. Therefore, she recognized that she was bound to contract original sin and that she had been redeemed by her Son. For this reason, she would have been subjected to original sin had she not been preserved by prevenient divine grace. And she received this from the sacrament of penance in excelling measure.
For, by contrition, she had the preservation of innocence. Instead of confessing her sins, she gave thanks. Instead of offering satisfaction, she received a superabundance [of grace]. Now confession has three parts: the accusation of sins, the recognition of the incongruity or greatness of the benefits [God has conferred], and the confession of the merits poured into the soul.
This, precisely, was the case with the Virgin’s confession. For she recognized that she had received such a great grace, which she could never merit by right (de condigno), nor could any other creature merit it in that way. She merited it by way of fittingness (de congruo). She confessed this and other like things to Blessed John the Evangelist, her confessor.
Mary Received the Eucharist
Albert shows that Mary received the sacrament of the Eucharist. In John’s Gospel, [the Lord says], “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink of his blood, you have no life in you” (Jn 6:53). Therefore, all the faithful are bound to receive the Eucharist during the time determined by the Church. Therefore, the Blessed Virgin also received the Eucharist. Further, in the same place the Savior says, “For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life (Jn 6:55-56). And again, “He who eats this bread will live forever” (Jn 6:58). Therefore, there is no doubt that the Blessed Virgin devoutly ate this bread.
Again, this is the sacrament of Love. Therefore, Mary had to receive it, since she was the highest in the order of love. Therefore, Albert says that the Blessed Virgin received from this sacrament a remembrance of the Lord’s Passion, an exercise of practical devotion, that made up for the desolation of her Son’s physical absence. (Luigi Gambero, Mary in the Middle Ages: The Blessed Virgin Mary in the Thought of Medieval Latin Theologians [trans. Thomas Buffer; San Francisco: Ignatius, Press, 2005], 326-27, comments in square brackets in original)
I highly recommend Gambero’s volume, as well as his earlier Mary and the Fathers of the Church (Ignatius Press, 1999) for those wishing to delve into the development of Mariology. Furthermore, such comments, stemming from a false understanding of Mary (the sinlessness of Mary) leads to all types of theological speculation and, to be blunt, nonsense. For more on the true understanding of the mother of Jesus, see my book:
