Solution to the aforesaid, § II, remainder

Hence by opposition it was opposed to the state of the most blessed Virgin, who inwardly had the highest dignity before God and outwardly had the highest humility before men. And thus the blessed Virgin did not receive this sacrament. First, as was said, because of the contrariety of her state. Second, because of humble conformity to other women, who are excluded from this sacrament, namely because of the unworthiness of sex, the greater frailty for sinning, and because of the incongruity of rule that follows from these. Third, for signifying the elevation of her state: for all dignities of the Church have been introduced for service unto the salvation of the souls of the faithful. Hence the Lord says in the Gospel: The princes of the gentiles lord it over them... It shall not be so among you, but whoever shall wish to become greater among you ¹, and so forth. Hence also all are named pastors. Hence Bernard says: "There is no reason that height should flatter, where solicitude is greater: the former increases danger, the latter proves a friend ²." And below: "To what must attention be given in every way? I think, not to ruling; for that Prophet also, when he was similarly lifted up, heard: That you may pluck up and destroy, and scatter and disperse, and build and plant ³. Which of these sounds of pomp? Rather, spiritual labor is expressed in a certain figure of rustic sweat. Therefore we too, that we may think much of ourselves, or may understand that a ministry has been imposed on us, not a dominion given ⁴." Below: "Learn by the prophetic example to preside not so much for commanding as for doing what the time requires. Learn that you need a hoe, not a scepter, so that you may do the work of the Prophet. And indeed he ascended not to reign, but to root out. Your predecessors the Apostles heard that the harvest indeed is great, but the laborers few. Claim for yourself the paternal inheritance. For if a son, then an heir. That you may prove yourself an heir, awaken to care, and do not grow sluggish in leisure, lest it also be said to you: Why do you stand here idle all day ⁵? Much less ought one to be found either dissolved in delights or lying back in pomps. None of these things do the tablets of the testator assign to you. But what? If you are content with the tenor of those tablets, you will inherit care and labor rather than glory and riches. Does the chair flatter? It is a watchtower. From there indeed you oversee, the name Bishop sounding for you not dominion but office. Why should you not be placed on high, from which you may look over all things, since you have been constituted a watcher over all things? Truly that prospect produces readiness, not leisure. When is it pleasing to glory, where it is not permitted to be idle? Nor is there a place for leisure where the assiduous solicitude of all the Churches presses. For what else did the holy Apostle leave you? What I have, he says, this I give you ⁶. What is that? One thing I know: it is not gold or silver, since he himself says: Silver and gold I do not have." And below: "Nor could he give to you what he did not have. What he had, this he gave: solicitude over the Churches. Was it domination? Hear him: Not lording it, he says, over the clergy, but made a form of the flock ⁷." From these and similar things it is clear that the dignities of the Church have been introduced for service and ministry. But the most blessed Virgin was assumed into the help of salvation and into the fellowship of the kingdom; for she alone, when the ministers fled, suffered with him. Hence she alone obtained the fellowship of the kingdom, she who was the helper of the labor, according to that saying: Let us make for him a helper like himself ⁸. But although the most blessed Virgin did not receive the sacrament of order, nevertheless she was full of whatever dignity or grace is conferred in them. But in them sevenfold grace is conferred; and she was full of every kind of grace.

Likewise, in the sacrament of order there are spiritual power, ministerial dignity, and administration of execution. But the most blessed Virgin had these three in herself equivalently and excellently. The ministers of the Church have beneficed dignity through the character of excellence, but the most blessed Virgin had the crown of the kingdom of the Church triumphant and militant. Hence the highest of ministers is called Pope and is the servant of the servants of God; she is Queen and Lady of the Angels. He is servant of the servants of God; she is Empress of the whole world.

Likewise, in ministers there is spiritual and temporal power from God, either subdelegated or vicarious; in her there is the fullness of perpetual heavenly power from ordinary authority.

Likewise, in ministers there is the execution of binding and loosing through use of the keys; in her there is legitimate ruling power for binding and loosing through command. And thus it is evident that whatever there is of dignity and grace in orders was in no way lacking to the blessed Virgin.

But lest she seem to have had only general virtues or dignities and to have lacked special ones, we say that she possessed the dignities and graces of each of the orders through equivalence and with excellence.

Now with exorcists she had the expulsion of demons. Hence Genesis 3:15 says: She shall crush your head. And Judith slew Holofernes, and Esther conquered Haman.

With doorkeepers she had the introduction of the clean and the exclusion of the unclean. Hence Ezekiel 44:2 and 3 says: This gate shall be closed; it shall not be opened... and it shall be closed for the prince. The prince himself shall sit in it. As if he said: This gate will introduce the prince and his imitators, and will be closed to the unworthy.

She also has illumination with acolytes. Hence Song of Songs 3:6 says: Who is this who ascends, and so forth? And that saying of Numbers 24:17: A star shall arise from Jacob.

Likewise, with readers she has in herself the literal exposition of all the Prophets. Hence Isaiah 7:14 says: Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son. And the Angel says to her herself: Behold, you shall conceive ⁹, and so forth. For she is the teacher of God's discipline.

With subdeacons she has the display of apostolic doctrine. Hence she is signified by the ark, in which were the manna and the rod of Aaron ¹⁰, that is, divine wisdom.

But with deacons she has the preservation of the Word of the Lord, for others for writing the narration, and the perfect fulfillment of the counsels of God. Hence Luke 2:19 says: Mary kept all the words, and so forth.

With priests she has the formation, handling, and communication of the Lord's body through herself, that is, that the body of the Lord was formed by means of her word and her flesh and blood, and she handled him most familiarly and for the longest time, and communicated him to us as food and drink, and through this bound all of us to his sweet yoke and his light burden by charity, and not only showed us loosed from all faults and punishments, but also absolved us, according to that saying: He who eats my flesh ¹¹, and so forth.

Likewise, with Bishops she has the ordination of clerics, the conferral of prebends, the consecration of temples, and the veiling of sacred virgins. For a Bishop ordains priests through the conferral of the sacrament; but the most blessed Virgin ordains through the obligation of continence, according to that saying: Be clean, you who carry the vessels of the Lord ¹². A Bishop also confers prebends by instituting; but the most blessed Virgin by making prebends. A Bishop also consecrates corporeal temples by dedicating them; but the most blessed Virgin consecrates spiritual temples by inspiring chastity and claiming it specially for herself. A Bishop also consecrates virgins outwardly by blessing; but the most blessed Virgin consecrates virgins inwardly by adorning them with virtues, and by betrothing them to her Son, and by consecrating not only virgins but also virginity, and by taking away from them the reproach of sterility, and by adopting them specially to herself as daughters, and by exalting a most worthy state, according to that saying: Incorruption makes one nearest to God ¹³.

The most blessed Virgin has likeness with the Pope: the solicitude of all Churches, the fullness of spiritual power, and the universality of privileged acts. The solicitude of Churches, because the Pope is father of fathers; but she is the mother of all Christians, indeed of all good persons, according to that saying: All good things came to me together with her... And I was ignorant that she is the mother of all these things ¹⁴. The fullness of power: for the Lord Pope has the fullness of power in this life, but not in heaven, nor in purgatory, nor in hell; but the most blessed Virgin has total power in heaven, and in purgatory, and in hell.

She also has the universality of privileged acts, as will be clear below, when we inquire about her privileges.

And note that since the most blessed Virgin humbly received the sacraments instituted for sinners, she did not, on account of this, say something false by lying in deed that she was a sinner, but, beyond debt, conforming herself to sinners in good things and showing herself truly humble by deed, she spoke truth in all things.

Thus it is manifest that whatever there is of dignity or grace in the sacraments of the Church is altogether in no way lacking to the fullness of grace that was in the blessed Virgin, but that she possessed this whole thing fully, either in sacramental graces, or in their equivalents, or in more excellent graces.