It is precisely this which St. Benedict promised to St. Frances of Rome, as we learn from Father Marchese.[471] The above-named saint appeared to her one day, and taking her under his protection, promised to be her advocate with the divine mother. St. Anselm adds, in confirmation of this, addressing the blessed Virgin: Oh Lady, what the prayers of all these saints can obtain, in union with thine, thou canst obtain, by thy intercession alone without their aid.[472] But wherefore hast thou such power? “quare hoc potes?” continues the saint. Because thou alone art the mother of our common Saviour, thou art the spouse of God, the universal queen of heaven and earth.[473] If thou dost not speak for us, no saint will pray for us and aid us.[474] But if thou art moved to pray for us, all the saints will engage to intercede for us and help us.[475] So says Father Segneri,[476] applying to Mary, as the holy Church does, these words of Wisdom: “I alone have compassed the circuit of heaven.”[477] As with its motion the first sphere puts in motion all the others, so when Mary is moved to pray for a soul, she moves all heaven to pray with her. St. Bonaventure says even, that then she commands, as being their queen, all the saints and angels to accompany her and unite their prayers to hers.[478] So we see, finally, why the holy Church requires us to invoke and salute the divine mother with the great name of our hope: Hail our hope, “Spes nostra salve.” The impious Luther could not endure that the holy Roman Church should call Mary, our hope;[479] because, as he said, God only and Jesus Christ as our mediator are our hope; but that God curses those who place their hope in any creature, as we find in Jeremias: “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man.”[480] But the Church teaches us everywhere to invoke Mary, and call her our hope: “Spes nostra salve.” Whoever places his hope in a creature, independently of God, is certainly accursed of God, since God is the only fountain and the dispenser of every good, and the creature, without God, has nothing and can do nothing. But if the Lord has ordained, as we have proved, that all graces shall pass through Mary, as a channel of mercy, we can, and ought even to assert that Mary is our hope, by whose intercession we receive divine graces, and therefore it is St. Bernard called her the whole cause of his hope.[481] St. John of Damascus expresses the same thing when, addressing the blessed Virgin, he says to her: Oh Lady, in thee I have placed all my hope, and with firm confidence I look to thee for my salvation.[482] St. Thomas says that Mary is all the hope of our salvation.[483] St. Ephrem explains: Oh most holy Virgin, receive us under thy protection, if thou wilt see us saved, since we have no other hope of being saved but through thee.[484]