Tower of ivory . . .
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Mary
Introduction
Mary's Litany
The title, "Tower of Ivory" when applied to Mary refers to her total spiritual purity, holiness, and nobility as the Mother of God. Because of divine favors God has given to her, Mary is set apart as the sinless and spotless Queen Mother of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. She exercises authority over those whom her Son redeemed, and she is a powerful advocate to the Trinity; soliciting for her children's spiritual protection and welfare especially in times of need. The Ivory Tower represents both the spotless purity of Mary's personhood , and her closeness with God the Holy Spirit in the Trinity.
She
was as innocent as Eve before her fall, a virgin most removed from every stain
of sin, more holy that the Seraphim, the sealed fountain of the Holy Spirit, the
pure seed of God, ever in body and in mind intact and immaculate.
(1) St. Ephraem of Edessa, Syria
Rest assured that the purer your words and your glances are, the more you will please the virgin Mary, and the greater the graces that she will obtain for you from her divine son. (2) St. John Bosco
I am the city of refuge says our lady, for all those who have recourse to me. Come to me, my children; for from me you will obtain graces, and these in greater abundance than you can possibly imagine. (3) St. John Damascene
From
day to day, from moment to moment, she increased so much this twofold plentitude
that she attained an immense and inconceivable degree of grace. So much so,
that the Almighty made her the sole custodian of his treasures and the sole
dispenser of his graces. She can now ennoble, exalt and enrich all she
chooses. She can lead them along the narrow path to heaven and guide them
through the narrow gate to life. She can give a royal throne, scepter and crown
to whom she wishes. Jesus is always and everywhere the fruit and Son of Mary
and Mary is everywhere the genuine tree that bears the Fruit of life, the true
Mother who bears that Son. (4) St. Louis Marie de Montfort
Mary
is called a neck; for she is the mystic neck through which the vital spirits, that
is, the divine help which preserves in us the life of grace, are transmitted
from Jesus Christ the Head to us the faithful, who are members of the mystic
body of the Church.
(5) St. Alphonsus de Liguori
The life-giving graces flow from Christ the Head, through the Blessed Virgin, into his mystic body. From the time when Mary conceived the Incarnate Word, she received the great honor from God, that no one should receive any grace otherwise than through her hands. (6) St. Bernardine
As
a Tower of Ivory Mary is beloved by God, and terrible to the devil. (7)
Abbot Rupert
My
sovereign Lady, because you are so beloved of God, you can obtain every grace
for us; and because you are terrible to the evil spirits, you can deliver us
from all their snares. Have mercy on us, who glory in living under your
protection.
(8) St. Alphonsus de Liguori
Mary, Mother of the Lord, truly teaches us what entering into communion with Christ is: Mary offered her own flesh, her own blood to Jesus and became a living tent of the Word, allowing herself to be penetrated by his presence in body and spirit. (9) Benedict XVI, pope
Let
us pray to her, our holy Mother, so that she may help us to open our entire
being, always more, to Christ's presence; so that she may help us to follow him
faithfully, day after day, on the streets of our life.
(10) Benedict XVI, pope
The
moment when the Archangel Gabriel entered her house and told her that the Lord,
the Savior, wanted to take flesh in her, wanted to bring about his coming
through her, must have been all the more surprising to her. We can imagine
the Virgin's apprehension. Mary, with a tremendous act of faith and
obedience, said "yes": "I am the servant of the Lord." And so it was that
she became the "dwelling place" of the Lord, a true "temple" in the world and a
"door" through which the Lord entered upon the earth.
(11) Benedict XVI, pope
Most holy Mary, My Lady . . . all my hope and consolation, all my trials and miseries, my life and the end of my life I commit to you, that through your most holy intercession and by your merits all my actions may be directed and ordered according to your will and that of your divine Son. (12) St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Mary, as St. Bernard justly remarks, is the 'aqueduct,' or if you will, the neck by which the body is joined to the head, and the head transmits to the body its power and virtue: 'For she is the neck of our head, by which he communicated to his mystical body in all his spiritual gifts.' (13) St. Pius X, pope