At your baptism Mary not only gave you the right to supernatural life as she did on Calvary, she actually brought you forth to it. As far as the supernatural world was concerned, your natural mother brought you forth a stillborn child.

That you might come to life, sanctifying grace had to be infused into you at the baptismal font. This sanctifying grace came to you through Mary, for, except through her no grace is ever given. When you were transformed from a child of wrath to a child of God, it was Mary who gave birth to you unto that life divine.

Do you understand now how Mary, by making you a participant of the life of God, is really your Mother in the supernatural order, just as the one who gave you human life is really your mother in the natural order?

Mary is even more truly your Mother. She is more truly your Mother, first, because of the way in which she has given you life.

For your birth, she paid incomparably more than your earthly mother. That she might bring you forth to life, she offered the Eternal Father the unutterable sufferings and the very life of One who was infinitely dearer to her than her own life.

She continues during the whole course of your existence to busy herself with you, whereas earthly mothers care for their children only until they are adults. You will always be her “little child whom she continues to bear until Christ be formed in you.” And if, unhappily, you should lose your supernatural life, she is not like earthly, mothers who helplessly grieve and weep over the corpse of their child. She can restore life to you each time you may happen to lose it.

She loves you — you, all imperfect and ungrateful as you are; she loves you with a love which surpasses in intensity and in purity the motherly love of all the mothers in the world.

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