http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-154/Virgin%20Most%20Powerful.htmVirgo Potens. Virgin Most Powerful
The modern woman will note with pleasant surprise that Mary of Nazareth, while completely devoted to the will of God, was far from being a timidly submissive woman or one whose piety was repellent to others; on the contrary, she was a woman who did not hesitate to proclaim that God vindicates the humble and the oppressed, and removes the powerful people of the world from their priviledged positions" Pope Paul VI , Marialis Cultus.
Mary is the Woman of Genesis 3:15 : "I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman, between your seed and her seed. He shall crush your head and you shall crush his heel".The Latin Vulgate translation used a feminine pronoun to refer to the Seed, thus the Douay Bible (the English translation of the Vulgate) renders the third line as "she shall crush your head".
Judith, the deuterocanonical heroine who saves the Israelites by beheading the enemy general Holofernes, is a prototype of Mary(Judith 13:22-24; 15:10).
Mary's identification with the Shulamite in the Song of Songs allowed for the application of such titles as Tower of David (SS 4:4) and Tower of Ivory (7:4) to her. Both of these titles have martial significance, for they portray Mary as a powerful fortress.
"Thy neck is as the tower of David, which is built with bulwarks: a thousand bucklers hang upon it, all the armour of valiant men" -Song of Songs 4:4
http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/prayers/virgopotens.html
This illustration bears evident martial features. Mary's picture is set against a shield, which is surrounded with a panoply of weapons, from bow and arrow to flags and cannons. Mary holds in her hand a commander's staff; however, the motto around her head refers to Christ. It says, "I can do everything in Him." Right and left of Mary's image we read this inscription, "He made powerful things with his arm."
On the lower half of this illustration we find the representations of two powerful typological feminine figures of Mary in the Old Testament. To the left we have Jael, who killed Sisera, the commander of the Canaanites, hammering and crushing his head with peg and mallet (Judges 5:26). The woman to the right is Judith decapitating Holofernes (Judith 11:17).
"In your hand are virtue and power" ( 1 Paral 29).
http://campus.udayton.edu/mary/prayers/virgopotens.html
I am the city of refuge says our lady, for all those who have recourse to me. Come to me, my children; for from me you will obtain graces, and these in greater abundance than you can possibly imagine.St. John Damascene
Mary is beautiful in herself as the moon, radiates her brilliance as the sun; but against "the enemy" she is formidable; terrible as an army arrayed for war. As we rejoice and exalt her today, God knows how we would like to forget the difficulties of the times in which we live....There is the "enemy" even at the very doors of the Church, threatening souls. And behold, another aspect of Mary: her power in combat....Mary, sinless, has crushed the head of the corrupting serpent. When Mary approaches, the demon flees - just as darkness dissipates when the sun rises. Where Mary is present, Satan is absent; where the sun shines, there is no darkness (Pope Pius XII ,Talk given on 8 December 1953.)
http://home.earthlink.net/~mysticalrose/virgin.html
, "Prayer to Mary Help of Christians", John Bosco
Mary, most powerful Virgin,
You are the mighty and glorious Protector of the Church.
You are the marvelous Help of Christians.
You are awe-inspiring as an army in battle array.
You have destroyed heresy in the world.
In the midst of our anguish, our struggle and our distress
defend us from the power of the enemy,
and at the hour of our death receive our soul into heaven. Amen.
You are the mighty and glorious Protector of the Church.
You are the marvelous Help of Christians.
You are awe-inspiring as an army in battle array.
You have destroyed heresy in the world.
In the midst of our anguish, our struggle and our distress
defend us from the power of the enemy,
and at the hour of our death receive our soul into heaven. Amen.
