Can Our Lady perform miracles? If not, what does “omnipotent by grace” mean?

Hello Father,
in the Supplication of our Lady of Pompeii, and in other prayers as well, we refer to Mary as “omnipotent by grace”.
I wonder if this is meant symbolically or literally. Can Mary perform miracles without “going through God”? I wasn’t able to find anything on the topic.
If that is not the case, what does “omnipotent by grace” mean?
And if it is so, in which cases does Mary intercede and in which cases she performs the miracle herself?
Thank you as usual for your time.
May God bless you and Our Lady keep you always.
Paolo

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Priest’s answer

Dear Paolo,
1. Blessed Bartolo Longo, in his beautiful Supplication to our Lady of the Rosary, says at one point: “You are omnipotent by grace, therefore you can help us”.
Omnipotent by grace in opposition to omnipotent by nature.
Only God is omnipotent by nature.

2. Saint Thomas specifies that God “can do anything that is possible”. This is to say that He cannot do anything that is intrinsically contradictory, such as, for example, making it so that an event that has occurred in the past did not occur.
He cannot sin either because sinning is a defect of perfect action. 

3. Since our Lady is a creature, who needs to be kept in existence moment by moment, she is not omnipotent by nature.
Therefore our Lady cannot do that which only God can do, such as performing a miracle, since a miracle is an action performed above the power of every created nature.
Our Lady, as elevated as she is, is still a creature.
She can ask, she can obtain, but only God can do. 

4. However, we say – and rightly – that our Lady is omnipotent by grace, meaning she has been made omnipotent.
She wasn’t made omnipotent at the creation of the world, since this power belongs to God exclusively, but she has been made omnipotent in her prayer, in her intercession. This is the reason why St. Bernard defined her: “pleading omnipotence” (omnipotentia supplex).

5. Where does this omnipotence come from?
It comes from her singular participation in the sacrifice of Christ, in His passion and death.
It is singular not just because she accepted it fully without hindering it, but also because her will was perfectly conformed to Christ’s.
Just like Christ willingly offered Himself to passion and death, so Our Lady willingly, and not just passively, offered the sacrifice of Her son and hers.
Saint Catherine of Siena says that if, absurdly,  Christ had tried to come down from the cross, Our Lady – by virtue of the extraordinary and supernatural love she had for God and humanity – would have put Him back there.
There was, on the part of Our Lady, an active, and not just passive, participation in the sacrifice of Redemption.
Therefore, her merit is also singular. 

6. Just like, on the day of Assumption, she said her yes to the angel loco totius Ecclesiae (on behalf of the entire Church and all of us), so her active and meritorious participation in the sacrifice of calvary was made on behalf of the entire Church and all of us.
Therefore Mary had gained merit for each of us in front of God.
This is why she deserved to become the giver of all graces. She, in fact, prayed for, suffered for, offered and merited all graces.

7. From Heaven, Our Lady sees all of our necessities and wants to provide for us with her boundless motherly love.
Just like Christ in Heaven is always ready to intercede in our favor, so Our Lady in Heaven keeps on offering Christ’s sacrifice and her personal participation in all of our needs.
In light of such merit and of such a big sacrifice, how can the Eternal Father deny her?
Especially if, when we ask, we ask well – meaning with humility, perseverance and with regard for our eternal salvation.
This is why her prayer is omnipotent, can obtain all things. 

I wish you can always experience this in your life. I bless you and remember you in my prayers.
Father Angelo

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