When our Saviour conquered Satan He left him power over those who make themselves slaves to the sensual pleasures, and thus there exists an evil force against the Church, and it will exist to the end of time.  This is a fact that we must keep in view in order to fully understand and judge the conditions.  The realm of darkness, Satan’s realm, stands opposed to the realm of Christ.  Satan and his adherents carry on the warfare against the Church of Christ, as they assaulted Christ Himself.  “As they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you,” so did Christ prophecy.

The Church of Christ demands the subjection of the flesh; she preaches against luxury, pride and selfishness.  She preaches chastity and submission to the commandments of God; she preaches penance alike to those of high and low station in life.  This angers all those who would indulge in the evil things of this world.  They cry:  “Let us break her bonds asunder; and let us cast away her yoke from us.”  But as Christ foretold the persecution of His Church, so He also foretold that the gates of hell would not prevail against her.  The Church of God will in due time conquer all her enemies, some will be converted, while others who are obstinate will perish in the battle.  In all these battles and victories of the Church, Mary, blessed mother of her divine Founder, co-operates with the Church through her intercession.  Mary was already spoken of in paradise as the one who would come to tread upon the head of the serpent, the spirit of darkness.  This she has done by becoming the mother of God, by bringing forth the Redeemer.  And as Jesus through Mary’s co-operation came into this world, so He desires her co-operation in ruling the world.  The history of the contests and Victories of the Church verify this throughout the centuries.

The evil spirit has a twofold weapon with which he assails and combats God’s Church; namely, the godless rulers of the world and heresy.  Through the godless authorities of the world Satan has endeavored since the beginning to crush the Church; through heresy he attempts to destroy the Church by internal dissension.  Both weapons are used together, for heresy and calumny can not prevail without substantial support, and heretics seek worldly power and assistance.  On every page of Church history we find recorded the clashes planned by these evil forces, from which the Church always came out not conquered, but a conqueror.

The history of the veneration of Mary tells us that the Blessed Virgin Mary helped to win these victories.  During the early times, when fierce battles against the Church were raging, bishops and priests knew of no more efficacious means to avert these dangers than to exhort the faithful to pray to the Blessed Virgin.  Thus we read in history that the holy bishops and martyrs Ignatius and Irenaeus did this in the second century, and in the third century it was Pope Calixtus who advised the faithful to take refuge with the Blessed Virgin in time of persecution of the Church.  And so on through all Christian times.