The Message of La Salette

Co-Redemptrix Commentary

By Bruce Sabalaskey
Copyright 2006. All Rights Reserved.

In the 19^th century, Our Lady appeared several times in support of what was to become the dogma of her Immaculate Conception. She appeared to St. Catherine LabourÈ in 1830, before the dogma was declared in 1854, and afterwards in 1858 to St. Bernadette Soubirous as confirmation. Less known is that Our Lady appeared to two shepherds, Melanie and Maximin, in 1846 at La Salette, also in France.

The Church approved apparition of Our Lady at La Salette illustrates, although implicitly rather than explicitly, how Our Lady is Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate. While these and similar titles have been used by Popes for decades ^{[1] [2] [3]}, they are not yet codified as dogma. We pray that Our Lady is honored with these titles in a dogmatic proclamation, all for the glory of God, Who, in His Infinite Wisdom, chose her, our tainted nature's solitary boast, for these roles in our salvation.

Bishop Philibert de Bruillard of Grenoble approved the apparition at La Salette after five long years of diligent inquiries, and published his long-awaited decision on September 19, 1851, saying ^{[4] [5]}:

≥We judge that the Apparition of the Blessed Virgin to the two cowherds on the 19th of September, 1846, on a mountain of the chain of Alps, situated in the parish of La Salette, in the archpresbytery of Corps, bears within itself all the characteristics of truth, and that the faithful have grounds for believing it indubitable and certain.≤

A point by point analysis of the message of La Salette is shown below with specific commentary on how it shows that Our Lady has these roles in our salvation. The exact words of Our Lady are shown in bold-italic font, while the normal font is used for the seer childrens' words, description of the events and general commentary. Of course the message of La Salette contains the basic Gospel message of repentance, prayer and sacrificial reparation. These, and other characteristics, will not be detailed here, rather the focus is on Our Lady and her three main roles in our salvation, as Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate.

The Message of La Salette	Co-Redemptrix Commentary
At this spot, then, he two children allowed themselves a little siesta, about half an hour. Melanie was first to awake; she shook her companion ≥Memin, quick! Come and look for our cows!≤ From the bottom of a gully, one's view if very limited. So Melanie climbed the slope to the southeast. At the top she turned around an was relieved to find the cows resting peacefully where they had left them. She started to go back down to fetch the basket of provisions she had left on a sort of stone bench. Halfway down, she stopped, glued to the spot, and cried out ≥Memin, quick! Come and look at this great light!≤ At the very spot where they had slept they saw a globe of fire, as if ≥the sun had fallen there.≤ They were frightened but Maximin was the first to regain his composure. ≥Melanie,≤ he said, ≥keep your stick and I will keep mine and if it does anything to us I'll give it a good whack!≤	Our Lady is bright light. She of course brought the true Light (John 1:9), Jesus, into the world according to His Will. As the Immaculate Conception, she reflects perfectly the Light from the Heart of God, without any degradation due to stain of sin. The light is not her own, but that of God. Her ≥fiat≤ allowed God to become man and enter the world for our salvation.
They stood there, looking intently as the globe of fire swirled and gradually grew in size. A moment later they perceived within it a woman seated, in tears. (Her head was in her hands and her elbows were on her knees, as is someone crying in great grief). They just kept looking. A few moments later, the Beautiful Lady, as they spontaneously called her without knowing her identity, stood up and spoke her first words. (The children would later say, ≥she wept all the time she spoke to us.≤)	Our Lady shed tears during the whole apparition, just as she shed her tears at the foot of the Cross. Our Lady is reminding us of Jesus suffering for our salvation, His crucifixion, and her role next to Him at the foot of the Cross. As was revealed explicitly at Fatima, devotion to Our Lady's Immaculate Heart is to be side by side with Jesus' Sacred Heart. It is also at this time that Jesus give us the gift of His mother as our mother also (John 19:26-27). Our Lady suffers along with Jesus for our salvation, not only at the foot of the Cross as His mother and spectator of the event, but also that ≥a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.≤ (Luke 2:35) A lance pierced Jesus' Sacred Heart literally, bringing forth the Church, while Our Lady suffers in her soul, the spiritual heart of a person, from a sword. This sword is that of Truth, which will divide men because they must choose, using their free will, between God and everything else: ≥Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.≤ (Matthew 10:34). Our Lady participates, along with Jesus, from the very beginning, at the time of the Annunciation, her fiat, and resulting Incarnation; ≥the Word became flesh.≤ (John 1:14)
≥Come near, my children, be not afraid; I am here to tell you great news.≤	Just as Jesus tell us not to be afraid (John 14:27, Luke 12:4, Matthew 10:26), and brings us the good news, the Gospel. Our Lady repeats the same, as Co-Redemptrix. And she tells us later throughout the message how to obtain salvation; ≥How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'≤ (Isaiah 52:7)
≥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.≤	Our Lady speaks as the Queen she is, ≥if my people,≤ being the mother of the Eternal King, Jesus. In the Jewish tradition, the Queen is the mother of the King (the Gebirah), and not his wife as is commonly the European tradition. The Queen is always along side of the King, again symbolizing Co-Redemptrix, with and under the King's Rule. And the Queen has the power of the King by delegation, because He can fully trust her with his infinite power given her sinlessness, as the Immaculate Conception. Our Lady also reveals herself as our Advocate, interceding with her Son on our behalf, trying to keep a just punishment from falling on a sinful people, by trying to restrain ≥the arm of my Son.≤ Implied here is also her role as Mediatrix of all Grace since we must correspond to said Grace if we are to avoid God's Justice due to our sin and instead take advantage of His Mercy via our repentance. Therefore very first teaching that Our Lady imparts to us after indicating that we should be unafraid in listening to the Gospel is that of repentance, just as the first public teaching of our Savior Jesus was in the Gospel (Mark 1:15). Again, Our Lady acts as Co-Redemptrix, imitating her Son.
≥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 no heed of it. However much you pray, however much you do, you will never recompense the pains I have taken for you.≤	Our Lady relates to us how long and deep that she has suffered for us, summarized above, as Co-Redemptrix, from the time of the presentation of Baby Jesus in the temple (4^th Joyful Mystery of the Rosary) and lasting until the end of time, when the final judgment occurs. Our Lady highlights the price that she paid for our salvation, sharing in the redemptive work of Jesus, to a degree that no other human being could possibly do. The great St. Paul who, in Colossians 1:24, says ≥now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,≤ and therefore illustrates the principal of co-redemptive suffering for the salvation of souls. How much more then did Our Lady suffer for us, as one who is holier than all Angels and saints combined, who stood at the foot of the Cross, and had her soul pierced by a sword, in the economy of salvation? This of course is the maximum participation in redemptive suffering that is humanly possible, which is the magnificence of Co-Redemptrix. Implicit in Our Lady's explanation is a call to us to become little co-redeemers as well, within our capacity, just as was St. Paul. Lastly, Our Lady indicates how ungrateful we are of her role in our salvation - ≥you take not heed of it.≤ This was made very explicit by Our Lady at Fatima, who also provided the remedy for this problem, by explaining ≥My daughter, look at my Heart encircled with the thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. Do you at least try to console me and announce in my name that I promise to assist at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to Confession and receive Holy Communion, recite the Rosary and keep me company for 15 minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary with the intention of making reparation to me.≤
≥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.≤	Our Lady now speaks in the first person as Jesus Himself would speak. The Queen speaks on behalf of the King, as Co-Redemptrix. And again she reminds us of her intercession available to us. How much more do we have this sin today than in 1846, the sin of failing to keep holy the Sabbath ≠ Sunday. The late Pope John Paul II released the Apostolic Letter Dies Domini, ≥On Keeping the Lord's Day Holy,≤ to remind us of this necessity. Our Lady certainly knows that we need the Grace available from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sunday and most importantly Eucharistic Jesus, the source and summit of our faith, to live virtuous and holy lives. She, as Mediatrix, is striving to get us of open our hearts so that we may receive God's grace through her. This was also illustrated earlier, in 1830, during the second apparition of Our Lady of Grace to St. Catherine LabourÈ at Rue de Bac whereby Grace was illustrated as light coming from rings on Our Lady's fingers, but some rings were dark because the people did not ask for these Graces. The apparition at Rue de Bac preceded the declaration of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854. It is from this apparition that comes the famous medal of the Immaculate Conception, more popularly known as the 'Miraculous Medal' because of the great many miracles attributed to it.
≥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.≤	Our Lady now reminds us of another sin all too common today as well, that of blaspheming our Good Lord's Name. This is the second Commandment: ≥'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.≤ (Deuteronomy 5:11) As our Advocate she is entreating us to stop the sinning which ultimately brings God's just punishment on our heads.
≥If the harvest is spoilt, it is all on your account. I gave you warning last year with the potato harvest, but you did not heed it. On the contrary, when you found the them spoilt, you swore, you took the name of my Son in vain. They will continue to decay, so that by Christmas there will be none left.≤ Not understanding the French expression 'pommes de terre' (potatos) Melanie looked inquiringly at Maximin. But the Beautiful Lady anticipated her question.	Our Lady now gives some concrete examples of what happens because of the magnitude of sin in the world. As a loving mother, she is warning us of the consequences of sin, and implicitly shows us that we can stop or avoid these problems by turning back to God. She wants us to have God's Grace, and, as our Advocate, helps us lead lives to obtain said Grace. Of course we must ask for her intercession.
≥Ah, my children, you do not understand? Well, wait, I shall say it otherwise.≤ And she repeated in their dialect what she had just said about the ruined harvest, before going on:	Just as Our Lady put the La Salette message in terms that the children could understand, she also knows intimately our limitations and frailties, as her children, and therefore as our Advocate helps us by using means suitable to our capabilities. As Mediatrix, she knows which Graces we need and are capable of accepting.
≥If you have wheat, it is no good to sow it; all you sow the insects will eat, and what comes up will fall into dust when you thresh it.≤	Our Lady indicates here that any of our human works, when done in serious sin as mentioned above, are worthless without being the Grace of God. They will come to nothing, as Jesus states specifically ≥He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing≤ (John 15:5).
≥There will come a great famine. Before the famine comes, the children under seven years of age will be seized with trembling and will die in the arms of the persons holding them; the rest will do penance by the famine. The walnuts will become bad, and the grapes will rot.≤	While the focus of this prophecy is the serious physical suffering which results from sin, there is also the spiritual meaning applied to famine. A good soul produces fruit, the grapes, since ≥I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.≤ Without Grace, mediated through Our Lady, our souls wither and die. A dead soul is one that, like the grapes mentioned, rots in hell forever, ≥If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.≤ (John 15:1-8). Punishment results from obstinately sinning: ≥Take heed lest you forget the LORD your God, by not keeping his commandments and his ordinances and his statutes, which I command you this day ... so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.≤ (Deuteronomy 8:11,20) Our Lady, as Advocate, also reminds us that if we do not voluntarily do penance and make sacrifices, then God will permit circumstances to force us into it, whether we like it or not or accept it or not.
At this point in the message, Maximin could see the Lady's lips move but could hear nothing. The same thing happened to Melanie a few moments later. The children discovered they each had received a secret, in French.	The secrets are separate from the main message of La Salette, and are not required to support Our Lady as Co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate.
The Virgin then resumed her message in the children's dialect: ≥If they are converted, the stones and rocks will become mounds of wheat, and the potatoes will be self-sown in the fields.≤	Our Lady, as Advocate, explains how God will take care of things if we convert our hearts to Him. She is exhorting us to return to God, and stay in His Grace. A just punishment will be turned into Merciful blessings. As Jesus tell us, ≥But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [the needs of daily life] shall be yours as well.≤ (Matthew 6:33). Our Lady reminds us that miracles can happen, if we only convert from a life of sin to a life with God. Of course as Mediatrix, it will be through her that such miraculous Graces are obtained from God. Just as Our Lady implored Jesus at the wedding of Cana to help a newlywed couple to avoid embarrassment from running out of wine, she will implore Jesus for our needs (John 2:1-11). There is only one condition: ≥His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he [Jesus] tells you.'≤ (John 2:5) And we see the miraculous result, especially when we do our best to obey God - ≥Jesus said to them, 'Fill the jars with water.' And they filled them up to the brim.≤ Jesus gives us the maximum possible Grace ≠ to the brim of our souls, if only we listen to Him.
≥Do you say your prayers well, my children?≤ ≥Oh, not very well, Madame,≤ they answered.	Our Lady, as Advocate, knows that we need a good prayer life to be close to God. Rather than telling us directly that we need such, she invites us to meditate on that need by asking a question, thereby engaging our heart and mind and free will.
≥Ah! My children, you must be sure to say them well, evening and morning, even if you say only an Our Father and a Hail Mary; but when you have time and can do better, say more.≤	Our Lady provides specific guidance for prayer, knowing the daily duties that we all have. Most important is to start and then the day with God in mind and heart. She knows that, due to daily duties, we may not have time for much formal prayer, so then duties done virtuously become prayer too. However, when we have more time, we should allocate some of that time for prayer with God.
≥There are none who go to Mass but a few somewhat aged women.≤	Our Lady previously spoke in the first person of Jesus about the need for keeping Holy the Sunday sabbath. Now she speaks as herself, reminding us of the problem of how few attend Sunday Mass regularly. She reminds us that God is for everyone, and not just a few older ladies. As Pope John Paul II said about Sunday in Dies Domini, ≥It is Easter which returns week by week, celebrating Christ's victory over sin and death, the fulfillment in him of the first creation and the dawn of 'the new creation. (cf. 2 Cor 5:17)≤
≥The rest work on Sunday all summer long;≤	Our Lady, wishing to dispense God's Grace on us as Mediatrix, exhorts us to be physically present with God at Sunday Mass, and of course receive Eucharistic Jesus in Holy Communion. She is advocating that we become one with Jesus ≠ literally. She knows more than any human person that without God we can do nothing.
≥and in winter, when they know not what to do, they go to Mass only to mock at religion.≤	Here Our Lady, knowing that our hearts must be open to receive the Graces that she dispenses as Mediatrix, highlights the emptiness of going to Mass only for the external appearance, as did many Pharisees practice the Jewish faith in Jesus' time on earth; ≥so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice.≤ (Matthew 23:3). In a word, do not be a hypocrite. Rather, ≥You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.≤ (Matthew 22:37). So we learn that such empty-hearted behavior is actually mocking God; ≥with which thy enemies taunt, O LORD, with which they mock the footsteps of thy anointed.≤ (Psalm 89:51)
≥During Lent, they go to the meat-market like dogs.≤	Our Lady reminds us of the need for sacrifice, of which not eating meat on Friday's during Lent is a minor one in the scheme of things. Of course eating meat on Friday during Lent is also sinful, unless one has specific dispensation (e.g. due to age, illness, etc). Therefore Our Lady highlights the importance of the little sacrifices made in daily life. One need not scourge oneself or wear hair shirts. In fact, Our Lady of Fatima told the children to limit the use of a penitential rope around the waist; ≥God is content with your sacrifices, but does not wish you to sleep with the rope-wear it only during the day.≤ Abstinence during Lent is a public display of penance, which of course is a living example to others around them. Such sacrifice must be made cheerfully, however; ≥And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men.≤ (Matthew 6:16).
≥Have you never seen wheat that is spoilt, my children?≤, "Oh, no, Madame." ≥But you, my child,≤ she insisted, addressing Maximin, ≥you must surely have seen some once when you were at the farm of Coin.≤	Our Lady, as Advocate, uses relevant situations in our life as teaching moments for us. She does not use merely abstract ideas, but rather shows how God is present in our everyday lives and in every situation. Of course we may not notice that God is there, but she gently reminds us, if we listen to her, as did Maximin.
≥The owner of the field told your father, 'Come and see how my wheat is spoiling.' The two of you went over together. Your father took two or three ears of wheat into his hands and rubbed them, and everything crumbled into dust. Then when you were returning home and were still half an hour's distance from Corps, your father gave you a piece of bread and said to you: 'Here, my child, eat some bread still this year; I don't know who will eat any next year, if the wheat goes on like that!'≤	Our Lady, in describing the precise details of the event to Maximin, shows that she is truly our mother and is concerned in all the details of our lives, no matter how small. Later, Maximin's father, when he learned of these details, returned to the practice of the faith. So we see concrete results of how Our Lady's care brings about conversion.
Maximin replied: "That's right, Madame; just at this moment I did not remember."	The example of Maximin provides us with fact that Our Lady, as mother and Advocate, constantly reminds us of Jesus and also of how much we need her to remind us of God. It is so easy to forget on our own.
Then the Lady added, in French: ≥Well, my children, you will make this known to all my people.≤	Our Lady finishes the message with a command of duty as appropriate from our Mother, also again speaking as Queen. Our Lady appoints the children as Apostles of conversion in their time, to evangelize ≥all my people.≤ If two unlearned children are called to this work, aren't we too are called to do the same? Just as our Redeemer said ≥Go therefore and make disciples of all nations ... teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you≤ (Matthew 28:19-20), Our Lady repeats the command as Co-Redemptrix, also our Queen and Mother.
She then stepped around the children, crossing the brook flowing from the ≥people's spring.≤ Without turning around she repeated her final injunction, this time with greater emphasis: ≥Very well, my children, be sure to make this known to all my people.≤ These were her last words.	Our Lady, to emphasize the point, repeats the request. Jesus repeats Himself when explaining the Eucharist for the first time to His Apostles and Disciples (John 6:26-71). Our Lady knows that our Eucharist is received at Sunday Mass, on the sabbath. She re-emphasizes the need for Eucharistic Jesus, Who is ≥the source and summit of the Christian life.≤ (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium #11)
She had no longer spoken her last words than that the two children rushed after their amazing visitor. Step by step Maximin followed her. Melanie ran straight up ahead of her as she went up the steep, winding grade.	Notice the eagerness of the children to join Our Lady. We too will be eager to join her if we listen to her. And if we listen to Our Lady, then that will be the best and fastest means to become holy, in the image of Jesus, as explained by St. Louis de Montfort and illustrated in recent times in the life of Pope John Paul II: ≥Since she is the sure means, the direct and immaculate way to Jesus and the perfect guide to him, it is through her that souls who are to shine forth in sanctity must find him.≤ (True Devotion to Mary, #50)
Near the top, the Lady stopped. Slowly, she rose to a height of about five feet, and remained there for approximately thirty seconds. Standing before her, Melanie saw her raise her eyes to Heaven, then lower them to the far horizon toward the southeast, in the direction of Italy and Rome. Her tears no longer flowed but an infinite sadness lingered in her face.	Notice the symbolism of the mountain and summit: God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on the summit of Mount Sinai, Jesus was transfigured on the summit of Mount Thabor, Jesus was crucified on the summit of Golgotha, Jesus ascended to Heaven from the summit of the Mount of Olives, and Eucharistic Jesus is ≥the source and summit of the Christian life.≤ Our Lady is the summit of human perfection, as Co-Redemptrix, and appeared on a mountain in La Salette. And she has announced how to achieve salvation; ≥How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'≤ (Isaiah 52:7) Our Lady is between Heaven and earth, as Mediatrix of all Grace, which she obtains from God (looking up to Heaven) and distributes to us. Our Lady ceased weeping since she was going back to God: ≥Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes≤ (Apocalypse 21:3-4).
And then, slowly, the head, the shoulders, the entire body dissolved in brilliant light. "We saw her head no more, then the rest of the body no more; she seemed to melt away.≤ ≥There remained a great light,≤ related Maximin, ≥as well as the roses at her feet which I tried to catch with my hands; but there was nothing more.≤ ≥We looked for a long time,≤ added Melanie, ≥to see if we could not have another glimpse of her,≤ but the Beautiful Lady had disappeared forever.	The children wanted to continue to be with the Beautiful Lady. We too should want to remain with Our Lady. The way we can do that is with devotion to her, especially by praying the Rosary, as promulgated by Popes for centuries and re-emphasized by Our Lady of Fatima.
Melanie said to her companion: ≥Perhaps it was a great Saint.≤ ≥If we had known,≤ said Maximin, ≥we would have asked her to take us with her.≤	As was true for Our Lady's apparition at Lourdes and at Fatima, Our Lady chose children who did not understand the magnificence of who was talking to them. We too do not really comprehend the magnificence of Our Lady, who has a greater degree of holiness than all Angels and saints combined. No title for any human being could be more magnificent than Co-Redemptrix.
Although not referenced in words, Our Lady wore a Crucifix with a hammer and pincers on the horizontal cross-beam. Around her shoulders was a heavy chain which seemed to crush and weigh her down.	Our Lady uses a meditative means in calling us to use our free will for the good. The pincers can remove the nails and take Jesus down from the Cross. We do this by striving for holiness, as all are called: ≥The Lord Jesus, divine teacher and model of all perfection, preached holiness of life (of which he is the author and maker) to each and every one of his disciples without distinction: 'You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect' (Mt. 5:48).≤ (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, #40) The hammer reminds us of how our sins crucify Our Lord. The chain illustrates how we become enslaved by sin: ≥for whatever overcomes a man, to that he is enslaved.≤ (2 Peter 2:19)

In summary, Our Lady as Mediatrix of all Grace knows that the everyday means by which we obtain Grace is through the Sacraments. And the regular Sacraments of daily life are the Eucharistic Jesus received at Sunday Mass in Holy Communion, and that of repentance and conversion, in the Sacrament of Confession, also known as Reconciliation. Therefore she calls us to practice those with truly repentant hearts. As Advocate, she helps us in all the little details of everyday life, and to increase in sanctity, if only we ask her and listen to her. If we repent, what miracles can occur in our lives. And as Co-Redemptrix, she reminds us of her suffering, and calls us, as was St. Paul, to share also in the suffering for the salvation of souls. What a magnificent and holy Mother and Queen we have in Our Lady!

REFERENCES

[1] Magisterial references on Our Lady as Co-Redemptrix

Pope Benedict XV, March 22, 1918, Apostolic Letter Inter Sodalicia, ≥As she suffered and almost died together with her suffering and dying Son, so she surrendered her mother's rights over her Son for the salvation of the human race. And to satisfy the justice of God she sacrificed her Son, as well as she could, so that it may justly be said that she together with Christ has redeemed the human race. It is for this reason that all graces contained in the treasury of the Redemption are given to us through the hands of the same sorrowful Virgin.≤

Pope John Paul II, in Guayaquil, Ecuador (Jan. 31, 1985) said, ≥As she was in a special way close to the cross of her Son, she also had to have a privileged experience of his Resurrection. In fact, Mary's role as coredemptrix did not cease with the glorification of her Son.≤

Pope John Paul II greeted the sick in his General Audience of September 8, 1982. He said, ≥Mary, though conceived and born without the taint of sin, participated in a marvelous way in the suffering of her divine Son, in order to be coredemptrix of humanity.≤ (Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, I, V/3 [1982] 404).

Pope John Paul II said in 1985, ≥May, Mary our Protectress, the coredemptrix, to whom we offer our prayer with great outpouring, make our desire generously correspond to the desire of the Redeemer.≤ (Inseg VIII/1 (1985) L'Osservatore Romano 880:12).

[2] Magisterial references on Our Lady as Mediatrix of all Graces

Pope Pius IX, December 8, 1854, Ineffabilis Deus, Apostolic Constitution defining the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, ≥All our hope do we repose in the most Blessed Virgin-in the all fair and immaculate one who has crushed the poisonous head of the most cruel serpent and brought salvation to the world: in her who is the glory of the prophets and apostles, the honor of the martyrs, the crown and joy of all the saints; in her who is the safest refuge and the most trustworthy helper of all who are in danger; in her who, with her only-begotten Son, is the most powerful mediatrix and Conciliatrix in the whole world; in her who is the most excellent glory, ornament, and impregnable stronghold of the holy Church; in her who has destroyed all heresies and snatched the faithful people and nations from all kinds of direst calamities; in her do we hope who has delivered us from so many threatening dangers.≤

Pope Pius X, February 2, 1904 Encyclical Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum, ≥#12. ... And from this community of will and suffering between Christ and Mary she merited to become most worthily the Reparatrix of the lost world (Eadmeri Mon. De Excellentia Virg. Mariae, c. 9) and Dispensatrix of all the gifts that Our Savior purchased for us by His Death and by His Blood. #13: Nevertheless, by this companionship in sorrow and suffering already mentioned between the Mother and the Son, it has been allowed to the august Virgin to be the most powerful mediatrix and advocate of the whole world with her Divine Son.≤

Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Mother of the Redeemer, he wrote, "Mary places herself between her Son and mankind in the reality of their wants, needs and sufferings. She puts herself `in the middle,' that is to say she acts as a mediatrix not as an outsider, but in her position as mother."

Pope John Paul II said in a General Audience, "We recall that Mary's mediation is essentially defined by her divine motherhood. Recognition of her role as mediatrix is moreover implicit in the expression `Our Mother'" (L'Osservatore Romano, N. 41, Weekly Edition 11).

Pope Benedict XV further endorsed the term mediatrix through the prescript of the Congregation of Rites that approved a Mass and Office of Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces.

Pope Pius XI, May 8th, 1928, Encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor, (On Reparation To The Sacred Heart), ≥#21. ... And now lastly may the most benign Virgin Mother of God smile on this purpose and on these desires of ours; for since she brought forth for us Jesus our Redeemer, and nourished Him, and offered Him as a victim by the Cross, by her mystic union with Christ and His very special grace she likewise became and is piously called a reparatress. Trusting in her intercession with Christ, who whereas He is the "one mediator of God and men" (1 Timothy ii, 5), chose to make His Mother the advocate of sinners, and the minister and mediatress of grace, ...≤

Pope Pius XI, May 3, 1932 Encyclical Caritatae Christi Compulsi (On the Sacred Heart), ≥#31. ... Let them pray to Him [Jesus], interposing likewise the powerful patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mediatrix of all graces, for themselves and for their families, for their country, for the Church; ...≤

Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, ≥#62. This maternity of Mary in the order of grace began with the consent which she gave in faith at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, and lasts until The eternal fulfillment of all the elect. ... By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and cultics, until they are led into the happiness of their true home. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and mediatrix. This, however, is to be so understood that it neither takes away from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficaciousness of Christ the one Mediator.≤

Catechism of the Catholic Church, ≥#969 ... Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation ... Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.≤

[3] Magisterial references on Our Lady as Advocate

Pope Pius X, February 2, 1904, Encyclical Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum, ≥#13: Nevertheless, by this companionship in sorrow and suffering already mentioned between the Mother and the Son, it has been allowed to the august Virgin to be the most powerful mediatrix and Advocate of the whole world with her Divine Son.≤

Pope John Paul II, in a General Audience (L'Osservatore Romano, N. 41, Weekly Edition 11) ≥Mary exercises her role as Advocate by co-operating both with the Spirit the Paraclete and with the One who interceded on the Cross for his persecutors (cf. Lk 23:24) whom John calls our Advocate with the Father (1 Jn 2:1).≤

Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, ≥#62. This maternity of Mary in the order of grace began with the consent which she gave in faith at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, and lasts until The eternal fulfillment of all the elect. ... By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and cultics, until they are led into the happiness of their true home. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix. This, however, is to be so understood that it neither takes away from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficaciousness of Christ the one Mediator.≤

Catechism of the Catholic Church, ≥#969 ... Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation ... Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.≤

[4] ≥A Grace called LA SALETTE: a story for the world,≤ Jean Jaouen, M.S., English Edition, 1991.

[5] ≥All My People ≠ Why She Spoke ≠ Why She Wept as La Salette,≤ Marcel Schlewer, M.S., English Edition, 1998.