In thanksgiving to Our Lady.

For prayers answered.
.
This past Saturday I asked people for prayers for a very special and rather urgent intention, and within a very short time that same day Our Lady indicated that the prayer had been granted - not that she said anything, but a matter associated with my intention was immediately resolved.  So once again, thank you to everyone who prayed.
.
Many, many years ago I had asked the Carmelites to pray for a special intention and when it appeared my request had been granted I spoke to one of the sisters at the turn, informing her of the graces received.  Mother answered, "We will pray in thanksgiving to Our Lady for having granted you this grace."  I reflected on what she said afterwards and understood that as Mediatrix of all graces, Our Lady surely would have obtained the grace I sought in prayer, even though I wasn't necessarily directing my prayers to her.  I delighted in the understanding of Our Lady's special role of intercession for the children of God.  My Carmelite sister didn't need to explain things to me since it seemed I understood everything simply by her announcement of the fact.
.
From Garrigou-Lagrange, The Influence of Mary Mediatrix:
.

Is not Mary in her quality as Mother of God completely designated to be the universal mediatrix? Is she not truly the intermediary between God and men? She is, indeed, much below God and Christ because she is a creature, but much above all men by the grace of her divine maternity, "which makes her attain the very frontiers of the divinity," (7) and by the plenitude of grace received at the moment of her immaculate conception; a plentitude which did not cease to grow until her death. Not only was Mary thus designated by her divine maternity for this function of mediatrix, but she received it in truth and exercised it. This is shown by tradition,(8) which has given her the title of universal mediatrix in the proper sense of the word,(9) although in a manner subordinated to Christ. This title is consecrated by the special feast which is celebrated in the universal Church. To have a clear understanding of the meaning and import of this title, we shall consider how it is becoming to Mary for two principal reasons: because she cooperated by satisfaction and merit in the sacrifice of the cross; and because she does not cease to intercede for us, to obtain for us, and to distribute to us all the graces that we receive. Such is the double mediation, ascending and descending, which we ought to ponder in order daily to draw greater profit from it.

.
That Mary obtains for us and distributes to us all graces is a certain doctrine, according to what we have just said about the mother of all men. As mother, she is interested in their salvation, prays for them, and obtains for them the graces they receive. In the Ave Maris Stella we read:

.

Break the captive's fetters,
To the blind give day,
Ward all evils from us,
For all blessings pray.

In an encyclical on the Rosary, Leo XIII says: "According to the will of God, nothing is granted to us except through Mary; and, as no one can go to the Father except through the Son, so generally no one can draw near to Christ except through Mary." (24)
.
The Church, in fact, turns to Mary to obtain graces of all kinds, both temporal and spiritual; among these last, from the grace of conversion up to that of final perseverance, to say nothing of those needed by virgins to preserve virginity, by apostles to exercise their apostolate, by martyrs to remain firm in the faith. In the Litany of Loreto, which has been universally recited in the Church for many centuries, Mary is for this reason called: "Health of the sick, refuge of sinners, comforter of the afflicted, help of Christians, queen of apostles, of martyrs, of confessors, of virgins." Thus all kinds of graces are distributed by her, even, in a sense, those of the sacraments; for she merited them for us in union with Christ on Calvary. In addition, she disposes us, by her prayer, to approach the sacraments and to receive them well. At times she even sends us a priest, without whom this sacramental help would not be given to us. - Three Ages of the Interior Life 

At times she even sends us a priest, without whom this sacramental help would not be given to us.
.
That happened to me once.  I had fallen into serious sin and was unable to get to confession.  It was a time when I struggled with very severe temptations - sometimes almost violent temptations.  I had constant recourse to Our Lady, praying her rosary almost without interruption - even in the occasions of sin I found myself in.  I was particularly downcast and full of sorrow and so I decided to spend the evening in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, hoping to persevere until morning when confessions would be heard before Mass.  On my way to the church I prayed, asking Our Lady to intervene and by some miracle, let there be a priest there whom I could ask to hear my confession.
.
As I walked into the Church I noticed the light was on above the retired Monsignor's confessional.  It was late, around 10:30 PM on a Wednesday night - so no confessions would have been scheduled.  I thanked Our Lady and immediately went over and made my confession; afterwards, I spent the remainder of the night in adoration.  Sometime later, speaking to the pastor long after the death of the Monsignor, I told him about it, and he laughed and said, "He had Alzheimer's you know, he probably thought it was Thursday night before First Friday and that he was supposed to be hearing confessions at that time." 
.
I smiled and said nothing, knowing Our Lady had granted my request.
.
Art: Virgen de los Desamparados, Our Lady of the most abandoned.