St. Albert the Great, the patron of scientists, is known as the Universal Doctor because he studied the natural sciences and commented on a wide range of them. He was one of the most greatest thinkers of the Middle Ages. Being highly interested in the natural sciences, he studied everything that he could, everything observable to man, from astronomy to zoology. St. Albert was one of the first to bring forth the great importance of the thought of Aristotle, who himself was a noted observer and commentator of biology and physics. He was a brilliant scientist – – a man of faith, a Dominican priest. St. Albert, just to get an idea of his brilliance, was the teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the most intelligent thinkers that the Church has ever known. How did he get to be so bright?

There is a story told in which Albert encountered the Blessed Virgin Mary. The story goes that he was actually a very slow student and had trouble grasping what he was being taught. If I’m not mistaken, he was a friar at the time. Because he was having such a difficult time to learn, he decided to quit the monastery. As he made his way up the ladder to get over the monastery wall, a beautiful woman appeared to him and asked him where he was going. Albert realized who it was and told her that he was leaving because he just wasn’t getting it. Mary smiled at him and said, “why don’t you just ask me for help?” For some reason, it didn’t occur to St. Albert to ask the Blessed Virgin Mary for help in learning his schoolwork. “OK, then! I will ask you – – please, Blessed Mother, make me smart, help me to learn!” And the rest was pretty much history – – he became a veritable genius!

Considering that she is the Immaculate Conception, Mary had every excellence and perfection of body, mind, and soul. She has the greatest union, among all mere human creatures, with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. She is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. She is the Mother of Eternal Wisdom, Mother of the Divine Intelligence who orders the entire cosmos. It would follow that the Blessed Virgin Mary was the most intelligent of human beings on the face of the earth. In a certain sense, it was a share in her own intelligence that she bestowed on Albert the Great. She made him great, Magnus, with her on greatness. I believe that she can do this by virtue of consecration to her: we give her all that we have including our poverty, and in exchange, our generous and loving mother gives us all that she has, holding nothing back.

This story from the life of St. Albert illustrates what happens when you go to Mary for help – – she will give you more than you ever even expected was possible. She is the mother of Jesus of course, and he never refuses her anything. Most certainly then, there is hope for everyone. Jesus, through Mary, the perfect daughter of the Father, makes up for every lack, every deficiency, every shortcoming. That’s why, in the face of my weakness and inability to I ask my mother Mary, the Mediatrix of All Grace for her help in all things. She will come through as she did for the wedding participants at Cana. Through the Immaculata, the Holy Spirit gave Albert a great gift of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, and I know he will give me everything I need to be holy, through her as well.

It’s interesting to note that at the end of his life, St. Albert sadly started to lose his memory – – possibly from dementia. But he was completely and totally surrendered to the illness – – “God gives, and God takes away, Blessed be the name of the Lord,” as Job exclaimed. We can learn from St. Albert, not just from the things he taught about science and of the faith, but also from his example in asking for help and in surrendering to the workings of Divine Providence. St. Albert the Great, pray for us!

St. Albert the Great, the patron of scientists, is known as the Universal Doctor because he studied the natural sciences and commented on a wide range of them. He was one of the most greatest thinkers of the Middle Ages. Being highly interested in the natural sciences, he studied everything that he could, everything observable to man, from astronomy to zoology. St. Albert was one of the first to bring forth the great importance of the thought of Aristotle, who himself was a noted observer and commentator of biology and physics. He was a brilliant scientist – – a man of faith, a Dominican priest. St. Albert, just to get an idea of his brilliance, was the teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the most intelligent thinkers that the Church has ever known. How did he get to be so bright?

There is a story told in which Albert encountered the Blessed Virgin Mary. The story goes that he was actually a very slow student and had trouble grasping what he was being taught. If I’m not mistaken, he was a friar at the time. Because he was having such a difficult time to learn, he decided to quit the monastery. As he made his way up the ladder to get over the monastery wall, a beautiful woman appeared to him and asked him where he was going. Albert realized who it was and told her that he was leaving because he just wasn’t getting it. Mary smiled at him and said, “why don’t you just ask me for help?” For some reason, it didn’t occur to St. Albert to ask the Blessed Virgin Mary for help in learning his schoolwork. “OK, then! I will ask you – – please, Blessed Mother, make me smart, help me to learn!” And the rest was pretty much history – – he became a veritable genius!

Considering that she is the Immaculate Conception, Mary had every excellence and perfection of body, mind, and soul. She has the greatest union, among all mere human creatures, with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. She is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. She is the Mother of Eternal Wisdom, Mother of the Divine Intelligence who orders the entire cosmos. It would follow that the Blessed Virgin Mary was the most intelligent of human beings on the face of the earth. In a certain sense, it was a share in her own intelligence that she bestowed on Albert the Great. She made him great, Magnus, with her on greatness. I believe that she can do this by virtue of consecration to her: we give her all that we have including our poverty, and in exchange, our generous and loving mother gives us all that she has, holding nothing back.

This story from the life of St. Albert illustrates what happens when you go to Mary for help – – she will give you more than you ever even expected was possible. She is the mother of Jesus of course, and he never refuses her anything. Most certainly then, there is hope for everyone. Jesus, through Mary, the perfect daughter of the Father, makes up for every lack, every deficiency, every shortcoming. That’s why, in the face of my weakness and inability to I ask my mother Mary, the Mediatrix of All Grace for her help in all things. She will come through as she did for the wedding participants at Cana. Through the Immaculata, the Holy Spirit gave Albert a great gift of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, and I know he will give me everything I need to be holy, through her as well.

It’s interesting to note that at the end of his life, St. Albert sadly started to lose his memory – – possibly from dementia. But he was completely and totally surrendered to the illness – – “God gives, and God takes away, Blessed be the name of the Lord,” as Job exclaimed. We can learn from St. Albert, not just from the things he taught about science and of the faith, but also from his example in asking for help and in surrendering to the workings of Divine Providence. St. Albert the Great, pray for us!