The Age of Mary: Lessons from Our Lady

When the true religion permeates every branch of study, as the Church’s educational doctrine[1] insists, Catholics have a greater chance of acquiring what historian-apologist Hilaire Belloc coined “the Catholic conscience of history.” [2] This conscience, which grasps the truth that historical time centers on Christ’s Incarnation and His Second Coming, knows that all epochs between these two Events fall within the realm of what St. Bonaventure called “the general law of preparation.” At this juncture in time, those who possess the Catholic conscience of history recognize that the past 500 years of Western Civilization’s decline is like a second Advent, a trial-by-preparation for a wondrous age soon to come, “The Age of Mary.”

“The Catholic conscience of history,” as Belloc defined it, is “an intimate knowledge through identity – the intuition of a thing which is one with the knower.”[3] Maintaining that there is no such thing as “The Catholic Aspect of History” (sic) or what today is phrased as “the Catholic perspective of history,” Belloc considered such terminology a blind acquiescence and an unwitting contribution to the pervasive errors of our age. As he firmly stated, “This talk of ‘aspects’ is modern and therefore part of a decline; it is false, and therefore ephemeral (i.e., fleeting): I will not stoop to it…The Catholic sees Europe from within. There is no more a Catholic ‘aspect’ of European history than there is a man’s ‘aspect’ of himself.” [4]

Why the specific mention of Europe? In the Catholic mind, Europe’s history takes principal place because the Catholic Church formed Western Civilization, which is Roman and European. This historical fact is more often omitted or twisted in modern history texts, which are full of a “succession of theories, self-contradicting and often put forward for the sake of novelty, which has confused and warped modern reconstructions of the past.” [5]

Of the material decline of the ancient Roman Empire, its hastening is often blamed upon the early Christians’ presence in Rome. “That is bad history,” Belloc asserted. “Rather, accept this phrase and retain it: ‘The Faith is that which Rome accepted in her maturity; nor was the Faith the cause of her decline, but rather the conservator of all that could be conserved.’” [6]

“The Religion which informed and saved it was then called, still is called, and will always be called ‘The Catholic Church,’” he firmly stated. “Europe is the Church, and the Church is Europe.” [7]

“Europe must return to the Faith, or she will perish,” was Belloc’s conclusion in his book, Europe and the Faith, a finale formed by the same Catholic conscience of history which he so strongly defended. His was the only true solution to reverse the decline of Western civilization and, with it, the seeming decline of the Church’s human element, which results in the loss of so many souls.

The Lady vs. the Tiger of Revolution

When Belloc wrote, “Europe must return to the Faith, or she will perish,”[8] he summarized the authentic Marian messages of the Modern Age, which will usher in “The Age of Mary.” Of that anticipated era, God surely inspired St. Louis Marie de Montfort, the apostle of true devotion to Jesus through Mary, who once wrote, “That Thy kingdom come, let the reign of Mary come!”

It is in our own age that the Secret of Mary is coming to fruition. “It was through Mary that the salvation of the world was begun,” St. Louis Marie noted, “and it is through Mary that it must be consummated. Mary hardly appeared at all in the first coming of Jesus Christ, in order that men, as yet but little instructed and enlightened on the Person of Her Son, should not remove themselves from Him in attaching themselves too strongly and too grossly to her…But in the second coming of Jesus Christ, Mary has to be made known and revealed by the Holy Ghost in order that through her Jesus Christ may be known, loved, and served. The reasons which moved the Holy Ghost to hide His spouse during her life, and to reveal her but very little since the preaching of the Gospel, subsist no longer.” [9]

St. Montfort’s inspired prophecy was written in the early 18th Century, in a Europe still reeling from the Protestant Revolt, in a Europe soon to experience the French Revolt against the altar of God and the Catholic throne. The “Catholic conscience of history” understands the series of conflicts were not spontaneous, random events but purposeful advancements of the Great Revolt against God, the Revolt which began in the 1500’s and continues to this day.

The Virgin of Paris: “She Shall Crush Thy Head”
The “Catholic conscience of history” recognizes that, in every instance, the Great Revolt which carried into the 19th Century afflicted Catholic European countries. Simultaneously, the same conscience understands why Our Lady chose the 19th Century to so often make Her Presence known: In these latter days of the Modern Age, in which the Church Militant is desperately besieged by every heresy, the Holy Ghost is revealing Mary, according to the “general law of preparation,” so that “through her, Jesus Christ may be known, loved and served.”

Our Lady Mary first came to Paris, formerly the very heart of the French Revolt where the forces of hell had struck at Her heel. She appeared to a postulant of the Daughters of Charity on July 18, 1830, the eve of the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, co-founder of the community. The Lady allowed the postulant – whom we know as St. Catherine Labouré – to kneel before her and rest her clasped hands on Her lap, just as a young girl would do with her mother. During the 2½ hour visit, the Virgin spoke of the evil times and foretold coming calamities which took place within the next 40 years – as they did.

“But come to the foot of the altar. Here great graces will be poured out upon all who ask them with confidence and fervor. They will be bestowed upon the great and small.”

“My eyes are ever upon you. I shall grant you many graces. Special graces will be given to all who ask them, but people must pray,” [10] were Our Lady’s concluding words at the end of the first apparition.

The message was clear: The Virgin turned the eyes of Her children to the Blessed Sacrament, where God so patiently waits. All we have to do is turn to Him and ask Him for His help with “confidence and fervor” because He wants our love and trust. Furthermore, God is no respecter of persons; the graces distributed are not given according to social status, as the spirit of the world thinks. Finally, the Lady made clear that She Herself watches and guards over us and, as the Mediatrix of All Graces, She also promises graces but with a condition – “people must pray.”

During Her second visit in Paris, where 40 years prior the godless revolutionaries replaced the Madonna’s statue in the Notre Dame Cathedral with the shameless “Goddess of Reason,” the Lady emphasized both a Marian doctrine, which would be defined as a dogma 24 years later,[11] and Her intercessory power before God. It was in Paris that She gave to the world the Medal of the Immaculate Conception (the Miraculous Medal).

Our Lady appeared over the high altar, standing on a globe – Her feet crushing a serpent, which immediately calls to mind the proto-evangelium of Genesis 3:15: “I will put enmities between thee and the Woman, and thy seed and her seed; She shall crush thy head and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.”

The Virgin held a smaller globe with a small cross on top, which She held out as if offering it to God. The Lady explained to Catherine that the ball represented the world, adding, “I am praying for it and for everyone in the world.”

Beautiful rays of many colors and lengths shone from what looked like gems on Her fingers. The Virgin said, “The rays are the graces which I give to those who ask for them.” The stones from which no rays came, She said, represented the graces waiting to be bestowed but for which no one asks.

This Vision then changed and an oval frame appeared around Our Lady. She lowered her arms and stretched out Her hands, graces pouring in the form of light. Around the oval frame appeared words in gold, “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”

“Have a medal made according to this picture,” the Virgin said to St. Catherine Labouré. “All those who wear it when it is blessed will receive many graces, especially if they wear it from the necks.”

Suddenly, the entire Vision seemed to revolve. On the back of the oval, which denoted the reverse side of the Miraculous Medal, St. Catherine saw the letter “M,” surmounted by a cross with a crossbar beneath it. Below the crossbar were two Hearts, one encircled by thorns and the other pierced by a sword. Surrounding the “M” were twelve stars within a golden frame.

The symbolism of the two Hearts emphasizes that the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary are inseparable; the “M” underscores the truth that Mary is the cause of our salvation, for it with Her cooperation that God became Man. The symbolism also emphasizes the Marian doctrine that the Mother of God is the Co-Redemptrix of the human race. The cross and crossbar remind us of the Passion, while the 12 stars within the golden frame symbolize the 12 Apostles commanded by Christ to spread the Gospel and baptize all nations. The 12 stars also symbolize the 12 virtues of Our Lady, and they may also be a divine hint to Apocalypse, Ch. 12: 1, which begins, "A great sign appeared in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun..."

Lessons from LaSalette

Sixteen years later, on Saturday, September 19, 1846 - the eve of Our Lady of Sorrows – the Virgin Mary came to LaSalette, France, there to grant a one-time appearance to two shepherd children. The apparition occurred between two and three in the afternoon, a time of great significance because on this day and during this exact hour, the Divine Office prayers were being offered to the Virgin of Sorrows.[12]

Eleven-year old Maximin Giraud and fifteen-year old Melanie Mathieu were tending cows when there suddenly appeared a globe of dazzling light. The globe opened and they saw a woman seated on stones. The Lady’s elbows rested on Her knees, Her face was buried in Her hands, and She was weeping.

The Lady wore a crystal-white, floor-length gown, its long, broad, and straight sleeves reaching beyond Her fingertips. A golden apron descended to the bottom of her dress. Over the gown, the Lady wore a white cape bordered with roses. On Her feet were white shoes, encircled by roses. Her head-dress, too, was white, crowned by a royal diadem, wreathed with roses of many-colored hues.

Around the Lady’s neck hung a golden chain and golden crucifix, with a hammer on one side and a pair of pincers on the other, clearly emphasizing the Passion of Jesus.

Each sentence of the known LaSalette Message (for there are still Two Secrets never officially revealed) is intended for all of the Church’s children, regardless of age.

Consider the evident lessons taught (although there are many more) in even a quick examination of Our Lady’s opening words, reproduced below in exact order:

• “Come near, my children, be not afraid; I am here to tell you great news.”

• The Lesson: Our Lady reveals Her desire that we approach Her in trust, as children approach their Mother.

• “If my people will not submit, I shall be forced to let fall the arm of my Son. It is so strong, so heavy, that I can no longer withhold it.”

• The Lesson: When the Virgin spoke of “my people,” She spoke as did the queens of old. At the same time She revealed Her intercession as the Queen Mother before Her Son, Whose arm is raised to punish. The Lady warns the people to submit – that is, to give Her Son the love and honor which He rightly deserves as Our Savior.

• “For how long a time do I suffer for you! If I would not have my Son abandon you, I am compelled to pray to him without ceasing; and as to you, you take not heed of it. However much you pray, however much you do, you will never recompense the pains I have taken for you.”

• The Lesson: Although the blessed in Heaven can no longer suffer, Our Lady uses these words to display the gravity of our sins in God’s eyes. Again, She refers to Her Son – implicitly revealing Her own identity. Once more, She speaks of Her prayerful intercession, for which we have been ungrateful. No mere human being can ever offer enough love and gratitude to Her Son in His Passion, by which we were bought at a great price, or to His Mother, Our Lady of Sorrows.

• “Six days I have given you to labor, the seventh I have kept for myself; and they will not give it to me. It is this which makes the arm of my Son so heavy.”

• The Lesson: Here is a great mystery, for Our Lady did not say, “The Lord our God gave you six days to labor;” rather, She spoke in the first person. Her words were a discreet reminder that She is the Perpetual Tabernacle of the Holy Trinity; God chooses to speak through Her in these latter days. The Lady had referred to the Third Commandment, “Keep holy the Sabbath day,” which means attending the Sacrifice of the Mass and receiving the Sacraments on Sundays and holy days. This commandment also forbids missing Mass through one’s own fault, unnecessary servile work, public buying and selling, or court trials on the Sabbath.

• “Those who drive the carts cannot swear without introducing the name of my Son. These are the two things which make the arm of my Son so heavy.”

• The Lesson: Our Lady warned of Our Lord’s severe anger when people break the Second Commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” All should use reverence when speaking of God and holy things or matters, and keep oaths made in the name of God. Blasphemy, irreverent or disrespectful use of God’s name, false oaths, and breaking of vows offend against this Commandment.

In essence, while the Virgin of LaSalette spoke of many other matters, She made clear that the only remedy is conversion – of which the true definition is almost lost in this age. Christ must be the life of the soul.

"Europe must return to the Faith, or she will perish," Belloc once wrote. We who live in these waning days of Western Civilization have our own parts to play in keeping and spreading Our Lady's messages, for this Age is only the Introduction to the approaching and glorious story, “The Age of Mary.”

“Well, my children, you will make this known to all my people.” (Our Lady of LaSalette)

~+~+~+~+
The article above was published under the original title, "The Age of Mary and the Catholic Conscience of History: Lessons from Our Lady" in the September 2009 issue of Catholic Family News (CFN). All Rights Reserved World-wide by the author.

Marianna Bartold, founder of Keeping It Catholic, is the author of “The Age of Mary” Study Guides, a series of “digitally delivered” Catholic unit studies for homeschooled teens - as well as adults or anyone who wishes to grow closer “to Jesus through Mary.” Her other works include the upcoming digital Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings) Catholic Study Guide. She is the author of the Keeping It Catholic Home Education Guide books (Volumes I and II, available from Neumann Press). Mrs. Bartold was the original homeschool editor of Sursum Corda and the founding publisher of The Catholic Family Magnificat! Magazine.
~+~+~+~+

End Notes

1. Pope Leo XIII, Militantis Ecclesia (On St. Peter Canisius, August 1, 1897): para. 18.

2. Hilaire Belloc, Europe and the Faith [New York, The Paulist Press 1920. Retypeset and republished in Rockford, IL: TAN Books and Publishers, 1992]: Introduction, p. 13.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid, p. 15.

6. Ibid., p. 13.

7. Ibid, p. 17.

8. Ibid, p. 185.

9. St. Louis Marie de Montfort, True Devotion to Mary: Article 3, #49.

10. Don Sharkey, The Woman Shall Conquer [Kenosha, WI: Prow Books/Franciscan Marytown Press, 1976]: pp. 16-17.

11. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception was defined in 1854 by Blessed Pope Pius IX.

12. The Seven Sorrows (Dolors) of Mary, once celebrated in the Church twice a year, are symbolized as seven mystical swords piercing the Immaculate Heart. In 1727, the feast day was added to the Roman Calendar on the Friday before Palm Sunday. It was also commemorated on the third Sunday of every September, until 1913 when Pope St. Pius X moved the feast to September 15, immediately following the Feast of the Holy Cross on September 14th, emphasizing the connection between Our Lord’s Passion ad Our Lady’s Sorrows.