Treasury of merits vs. the Treasury of graces?

[JurisPrudens]

The Apostolic constitution on indulgences from 1967 says (par. 7) that the treasury of merits is kept and dispensed by the bishops, especially the Pope.

St. Louis de Montfort in The True Devotion toMary (208) says that Mary is the treasurer and the dislenser of God’s gifts and graces.

How are these statements compatible? Is there a difference between what they are talking about?

 

[porthos11]

The Apostolic constitution on indulgences from 1967 says (par. 7) that the treasury of merits is kept and dispensed by the bishops, especially the Pope.

St. Louis de Montfort in The True Devotion toMary (208) says that Mary is the treasurer and the dislenser of God’s gifts and graces.

How are these statements compatible? Is there a difference between what they are talking about?

The first statement is doctrine and laid down by the Magisterium of the Church.

The second is flowery language written by a saint out of love for our Lady, but without any magisterial force. I do not like the dispenser imagery, preferring to keep in mind God’s fixed order of grace and providence and our Lady’s intercessory role in it, surpassed by no one but our Lord himself. That she is some kind of treasurer does not paint an accurate image in my head.

That said, grace and merit are two different things, so the two statements are not even related.

 

[MaryHelp777]

St Louis De Montfort is saying he believes God gives the graces to Our Lady to give to us.

So that would mean St Louis De Montfort would argue that it’s his opinion that the graces God gives to the Bishops comes from God, through Our Lady, to them.

 

[JurisPrudens]

St Louis De Montfort is saying he believes God gives the graces to Our Lady to give to us.

So that would mean St Louis De Montfort would argue that it’s his opinion that the graces God gives to the Bishops comes from God, through Our Lady, to them.

This would imply that all the good works, for which the Pope and bishops grant indulgences, are supposed to be Marian, expressly and tacitly. This is something what I was thinking of.

 

[JurisPrudens]

The first statement is doctrine and laid down by the Magisterium of the Church.

The second is flowery language written by a saint out of love for our Lady, but without any magisterial force. I do not like the dispenser imagery, preferring to keep in mind God’s fixed order of grace and providence and our Lady’s intercessory role in it, surpassed by no one but our Lord himself. That she is some kind of treasurer does not paint an accurate image in my head.

That said, grace and merit are two different things, so the two statements are not even related.

Thx.

Well, merits and graces are different things, but they are strongly connected. Some of the graces are deserved by the merits of the Church. The indulgences are effectual by virtue of these merits. The bishops apply the merits to “purchase” additional graces, including the graces of mitigation of punishment for the sins, by way of indulgences. So, graces and merits are closely connected.



BTW, Pope Pius X in the encyclical “Ad diem illum”, par. 14, noted that, while Jesus merited for us salvation “de condigno”, Mary did the same “de congruo”…

Oh, sorry, I’m tired cannot reason on this anymore today. :coffeeread: