The Virgin Mary has countless titles, from the highest, that of Mother of God, to those referring to human miseries, such as Refuge of Sinners. However, from a certain point of view, one of her most comprehensive titles could be said to be that of Our Lady of Good Remedy.
In fact, this invocation synthesizes countless others. Mary is the Mother of Good Remedy first and foremost because She – “full of grace” (Lk 1:28) – was the one most assisted by God, who worked great wonders for her (cf. Lk 1:49).
As far as human beings are concerned, She has the right remedy for each of their needs, because She is the Mother and Mediatrix of all graces. This is reflected in the most varied titles. On the one hand, Our Lady of Consolation offers soothing solace for tears, and on the other, Our Lady of Joy grants the balm of jubilation to her faithful devotees. Even Our Lady of a Good Death is included in the category of salutary remedies, as She extends her graces not only to present ills, but also to those of the “hour of our death”.
It should be noted that the origin of the devotion to Our Lady of Good Remedy dates back to an apparition of the Mother of God to St. John of Matha, founder of the Trinitarian Order, in 1202. On that occasion, She gave the saint a bag of coins with which to rescue Christian prisoners oppressed under Muslim captivity.
The Marian good remedy does indeed extend to pecuniary matters. However, this invocation reveals something much higher. Together with her Divine Son and through the infinite merits of the Redemption wrought by Him, Our Lady, with the pledge of her grace, also rescues humanity from sin and from the clutches of slavery to the devil.
As St. Paul teaches, whoever is redeemed from the yoke of sin embraces the freedom of Christ himself (cf. Gal 5:1). This freedom, however, does not mean emancipation. The Apostle argues that whoever obeys becomes the slave of the one he obeys. Slavery, then, comes in two forms: to sin (cf. Jn 8:34), which leads to death; or to God, through obedience, which leads to righteousness (Rom 6:16). Those who free themselves from sin and from the “prince of this world” (Jn 12:31) consequently become “slaves of righteousness” (Rom 6:18).
Our Lady of Good Remedy participates in divine munificence – and even divine omnipotence, insofar as She frees the captives of sin and leads them to true freedom. This is preceded by the subjection of the demons to her dominion, to the point that they are compelled to proclaim the power of God’s humble slave through the mouths of the possessed.
Ultimately, if one of the broadest Marian titles is that of Mother of Good Remedy, given the way it extends to the others, then we can also postulate that Our Lady of Sacred Slavery is the most fundamental, because it precedes all the others. In fact, at the root of the favours granted by the Blessed Virgin is the fact that She rescues the slaves of sin in order to lead them to perfect obedience to God. And, as St. Louis Grignion de Montfort testified, there is no more excellent way to achieve this grace than to become a slave of Mary. ◊
