In his popular Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis de Sales (1567-1622), often in passing, instructed praying to Mary and presenting her as a co-redemptrix, such as the following:
With your inward eyes behold the Blessed Virgin who maternally bids you: “Courage, my child, do not spurn my Son’s desires or the many sighs that I have cast forth you as I yearn with him for your eternal salvation.” (Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life [trans. John K. Ryan; New York: Image Books, 1989], 68)
Elsewhere, de Sales wrote:
Our Duty to Honor and Invoke the Saints
Since God often sends us inspirations by means of his angels, we should frequently return our aspirations to him by the same messengers. The holy souls of the dead who dwell in paradise with the angels and, as our Savior says, are equal “and like the angels,” also perform this office of inspiring us and interceding or us by their holy prayers . . . Honor, reverence, and respect with a special love the sacred and glorious Virgin Mary. She is the Mother of our sovereign Father and consequently she is our own Mother in an especial way. Let us run to her and like little children cats ourselves into her arms with perfect confidence. At every moment and on every occasion let us call on this dear Mother. Let us invoke her maternal love and by trying to imitate her virtues let us have true filial affection for her. (Ibid., 106)
Again and again, when we examine both popular (as in "orthodox" [mainstream]) and/or official, dogmatic teachings on the person and work of Mary in Catholic (and, to a lesser degree, Eastern Orthodox) circles, we encounter the importance of why being correct about Mariology is not a small issue, but an important one.
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