Readings and Prayers for St. Louis-Marie de
Montfort's
Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary
Day 20 of
33
Theme for the Week: Knowledge Of The Blessed Virgin
Acts of love, pious affection for the Blessed Virgin, imitation of her virtues, especially her profound humility, her lively faith, her blind obedience, her continual mental prayer, her mortification in all things, her surpassing purity, her ardent charity, her heroic patience, her angelic sweetness, and her divine wisdom: "there being," as St. Louis De Montfort says, "the ten principal virtues of the Blessed Virgin." We must unite ourselves to Jesus through Mary - this is the characteristic of our devotion; therefore, Saint Louis De Montfort asks that we employ ourselves in acquiring a knowledge of the Blessed Virgin. Mary is our sovereign and our mediatrix, our Mother and our Mistress. Let us then endeavor to know the effects of this royalty, of this mediation, and of this maternity, as well as the grandeurs and prerogatives which are the foundation or consequences thereof. Our Mother is also a perfect mold wherein we are to be molded in order to make her intentions and dispositions ours. This we cannot achieve without studying the interior life of Mary; namely, her virtues, her sentiments, her actions, her participation in the mysteries of Christ and her union with Him.
Luke 2:16-21, 45-52
And
they came with haste; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant
lying in the manger. And seeing, they understood of the word that had
been spoken to them concerning this child. And all that heard,
wondered; and at those things that were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. And the
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all the things
they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. And after eight
days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised, his
name was called JESUS, which was called by the angel, before he was
conceived in the womb...
...And not finding him, they
returned into Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that,
after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst
of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that
heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers. And seeing
him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou
done so to us? behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? did you not know,
that I must be about my father's business? And they understood not
the word that he spoke unto them. And he went down with them, and
came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all
these words in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and
grace with God and men.
Readings
and Prayers for St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's
Total Consecration
to Jesus through Mary
Day 21 of 33
From
Secret of Mary: Nos. 23-24
True Devotion to Our Blessed Lady
If we would go up to God, and be united with Him, we must use the same means He used to come down to us to be made Man and to impart His graces to us. This means is a true devotion to our Blessed Lady. There are several true devotions to our Lady: here I do not speak of those which are false. The first consists in fulfilling our Christian duties, avoiding mortal sin, acting more out of love than with fear, praying to our Lady now and then, honoring her as the Mother of God, yet without having any special devotion to her. The second consists in entertaining for our Lady more perfect feelings of esteem and love, of confidence and veneration. It leads us to join the Confraternities of the Holy Rosary and of the Scapular, to recite the five or the fifteen decades of the Holy Rosary, to honor Mary's images and altars, to publish her praises and to enroll ourselves in her modalities. This devotion is good, holy and praiseworthy if we keep ourselves free from sin. But it is not so perfect as the next, nor so efficient in severing our soul from creatures, in detaching ourselves in order to be united with Jesus Christ. The third devotion to our Lady, known and practiced by very few persons, is this I am about to disclose to you, predestinate soul. It consists in giving one's self entirely and as a slave to Mary, and to Jesus through Mary, and after that, to do all that we do, through Mary, with Mary in Mary and for Mary We should choose a special feast day on which we give, consecrate and sacrifice to Mary voluntarily lovingly and without constraint, entirely and without reserve: our body and soul, our exterior property such as house, family and income, and also our interior and spiritual possessions: namely, our merits, graces, virtues, and satisfactions.
Readings
and Prayers for St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's
Total Consecration
to Jesus through Mary
Day 22 of 33
From
True Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nos. 106-110
Marks of
authentic devotion to our Lady
106.
First, true devotion to our Lady is interior, that is, it comes from
within the mind and the heart and follows from the esteem in which we
hold her, the high regard we have for her greatness, and the love we
bear her.
107. Second, it is trustful, that is to say, it
fills us with confidence in the Blessed Virgin, the confidence that a
child has for its loving Mother. It prompts us to go to her in every
need of body and soul with great simplicity, trust and affection.
108. Third, true devotion to our Lady is holy, that is, it
leads us to avoid sin and to imitate the virtues of Mary. Her ten
principal virtues are: deep humility, lively faith, blind obedience,
unceasing prayer, constant self-denial, surpassing purity, ardent
love, heroic patience, angelic kindness, and heavenly wisdom.
109.
Fourth, true devotion to our Lady is constant. It strengthens us in
our desire to do good and prevents us from giving up our devotional
practices too easily. It gives us the courage to oppose the fashions
and maxims of the world, the vexations and unruly inclinations of the
flesh and the temptations of the devil. Thus a person truly devoted
to our Blessed Lady is not changeable, fretful, scrupulous or timid.
110. Fifth, true devotion to Mary is disinterested. It
inspires us to seek God alone in his Blessed Mother and not
ourselves. The true subject of Mary does not serve his illustrious
Queen for selfish gain. He does not serve her for temporal or eternal
well-being but simply and solely because she has the right to be
served and God alone in her.
Readings
and Prayers for St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's
Total Consecration
to Jesus through Mary
Day 23 of 33
From
True Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nos. 120-121
Nature of
perfect devotion to the Blessed Virgin
or perfect consecration to
Jesus Christ
120.
As all perfection consists in our being conformed, united and
consecrated to Jesus it naturally follows that the most perfect of
all devotions is that which conforms, unites, and consecrates us most
completely to Jesus. Now of all God's creatures Mary is the most
conformed to Jesus. It therefore follows that, of all devotions,
devotion to her makes for the most effective consecration and
conformity to him. The more one is consecrated to Mary, the more one
is consecrated to Jesus. That is why perfect consecration to Jesus is
but a perfect and complete consecration of oneself to the Blessed
Virgin, which is the devotion I teach; or in other words, it is the
perfect renewal of the vows and promises of holy baptism.
121. This devotion consists in giving oneself
entirely to Mary in order to belong entirely to Jesus through her. It
requires us to give:
(1) Our body with its senses and members;
(2) Our soul with its faculties;
(3) Our present material possessions and all we shall acquire in the future;
(4) Our interior and spiritual possessions, that is, our merits, virtues and good actions of the past, the present and the future.
In other words, we give her all that we possess both in our natural life and in our spiritual life as well as everything we shall acquire in the future in the order of nature, of grace, and of glory in heaven. This we do without any reservation, not even of a penny, a hair, or the smallest good deed. And we give for all eternity without claiming or expecting, in return for our offering and our service, any other reward than the honour of belonging to our Lord through Mary and in Mary, even though our Mother were not - as in fact she always is - the most generous and appreciative of all God's creatures.
Readings
and Prayers for St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's
Total Consecration
to Jesus through Mary
Day 24 of 33
From True Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, No. 152-164
This devotion is a smooth, short, perfect and sure way of attaining union with our Lord, in which Christian perfection consists. (a) This devotion is a smooth way. It is the path which Jesus Christ opened up in coming to us and in which there is no obstruction to prevent us reaching him. It is quite true that we can attain to divine union by other roads, but these involve many more crosses and exceptional setbacks and many difficulties that we cannot easily overcome. (b) This devotion is a short way to discover Jesus, either because it is a road we do not wander from, or because, as we have just said, we walk along this road with greater ease and joy, and consequently with greater speed. We advance more in a brief period of submission to Mary and dependence on her than in whole years of self-will and self-reliance. (c) This devotion is a perfect way to reach our Lord and be united to him, for Mary is the most perfect and the most holy of all creatures, and Jesus, who came to us in a perfect manner, chose no other road for his great and wonderful journey. The Most High, the Incomprehensible One, the Inaccessible One, He who is, deigned to come down to us poor earthly creatures who are nothing at all. How was this done? The Most High God came down to us in a perfect way through the humble Virgin Mary, without losing anything of his divinity or holiness. It is likewise through Mary that we poor creatures must ascend to almighty God in a perfect manner without having anything to fear.(d) This devotion to our Lady is a sure way to go to Jesus and to acquire holiness through union with him. The devotion which I teach is not new. Indeed it could not be condemned without overthrowing the foundations of Christianity. It is obvious then that this devotion is not new. If it is not commonly practised, the reason is that it is too sublime to be appreciated and undertaken by everyone. This devotion is a safe means of going to Jesus Christ, because it is Mary's role to lead us safely to her Son.
Readings
and Prayers for St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's
Total Consecration
to Jesus through Mary
Day 25 of 33
From
True Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nos. 213-225
Wonderful
Effects of this Devotion
213.
My dear friend, be sure that if you remain faithful to the interior
and exterior practices of this devotion which I will point out, the
following effects will be produced in your soul:
1. Knowledge of our unworthiness
213. By the light which the Holy Spirit will give you through Mary, his faithful spouse, you will perceive the evil inclinations of your fallen nature and how incapable you are of any good. Finally, the humble Virgin Mary will share her humility with you so that, although you regard yourself with distaste and desire to be disregarded by others, you will not look down slightingly upon anyone.
2. A share in Mary's faith
214. Mary will share her faith with you. Her faith on earth was stronger than that of all the patriarchs, prophets, apostles and saints.
3. The gift of pure love
215. The Mother of fair love will rid your heart of all scruples and inordinate servile fear.
4. Great confidence in God and in Mary
216. Our Blessed Lady will fill you with unbounded confidence in God and in herself: Because you will no longer approach Jesus by yourself but always through Mary, your loving Mother.
5. Communication of the spirit of Mary
217. The soul of Mary will be communicated to you to glorify the Lord. Her spirit will take the place of yours to rejoice in God, her Saviour, but only if you are faithful to the practices of this devotion.
6. Transformation into the likeness of Jesus
218. If Mary, the Tree of Life, is well cultivated in our soul by fidelity to this devotion, she will in due time bring forth her fruit which is none other than Jesus.
7. The greater glory of Christ
222. If you live this devotion sincerely, you will give more glory to Jesus in a month than in many years of a more demanding devotion.
Readings
and Prayers for St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's
Total Consecration
to Jesus through Mary
Day 26 of 33
From True Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nos. 12-38
"If
you wish to understand the Mother," says a saint, "then
understand the Son. She is a worthy Mother of God." Hic taceat
omnis lingua : Here let every tongue be silent. My heart has dictated
with special joy all that I have written to show that Mary has been
unknown up till now, and that that is one of the reasons why Jesus
Christ is not known as he should be. If then, as is certain, the
knowledge and the kingdom of Jesus Christ must come into the world,
it can only be as a necessary consequence of the knowledge and reign
of Mary. She who first gave him to the world will establish his
kingdom in the world.
With the whole Church I acknowledge that
Mary, being a mere creature fashioned by the hands of God is,
compared to his infinite majesty, less than an atom, or rather is
simply nothing, since he alone can say, "I am he who is".
Consequently, this great Lord, who is ever independent and
self-sufficient, never had and does not now have any absolute need of
the Blessed Virgin for the accomplishment of his will and the
manifestation of his glory. To do all things he has only to will
them. However, I declare that, considering things as they are,
because God has decided to begin and accomplish his greatest works
through the Blessed Virgin ever since he created her, we can safely
believe that he will not change his plan in the time to come, for he
is God and therefore does not change in his thoughts or his way of
acting.
Mary
is the Queen of heaven and earth by grace as Jesus is king by nature
and by conquest. But as the kingdom of Jesus Christ exists primarily
in the heart or interior of man, according to the words of the
Gospel, "The kingdom of God is within you", so the kingdom
of the Blessed Virgin is principally in the interior of man, that is,
in his soul. It is principally in souls that she is glorified with
her Son more than in any visible creature. So we may call her, as the
saints do, Queen of our hearts.