"... a smooth, short, perfect and sure way of attaining union with our Lord..."

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Continuing St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion to the Virgin Mary” prayerfully listening to motives for undertaking it:

4. It is an excellent means of giving glory to God

1. This devotion, when faithfully undertaken, is a perfect means of ensuring that the value of all our good works is being used for the greater glory of God. Scarcely anyone works for that noble end, in spite of the obligation to do so, either because men do not know where God’s greatest glory is to be found or because they do not desire it. Now Mary, to whom we surrender the value and merit of our good actions, knows perfectly well where God’s greatest glory lies and she works only to promote that glory. The devout servant of our Lady, having entirely consecrated himself to her as I have described above, can boldly claim that the value of all his actions, words and thoughts is used for the greatest glory of God, unless he has explicitly retracted his offering. For one who loves God with a pure and unselfish love and prizes God’s glory and interests far above his own, could anything be more consoling?

5. It leads to union with our Lord

1. 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. We would have to pass through spiritual darkness, engage in struggles for which we are not prepared, endure bitter agonies, scale precipitous mountains, tread upon painful thorns, and cross frightful deserts. But when we take the path of Mary, we walk smoothly and calmly.

It is true that on our way we have hard battles to fight and serious obstacles to overcome, but Mary, our Mother and Queen, stays close to her faithful servants. She is always at hand to brighten their darkness, clear away their doubts, strengthen them in their fears, sustain them in their combats and trials. Truly, in comparison with other ways, this virgin road to Jesus is a path of roses and sweet delights. There have been some saints, not very many, such as St. Ephrem, St. John Damascene, St. Bernard, St. Bernardine, St. Bonaventure, and St. Francis de Sales, who have taken this smooth path to Jesus Christ, because the Holy Spirit, the faithful Spouse of Mary, made it known to them by a special grace. The other saints, who are the greater number, while having a devotion to Mary, either did not enter or did not go very far along this path. That is why they had to undergo harder and more dangerous trials.

Come Holy Spirit, fill us with Your love; guide us into ALL Truth.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Stephie,

Thanks again for your faithful “heart” - appreciating what St. Louis de Montfort wrote in his book, “True devotion to the Blessed Virgin” What a joy to experience Mary’s help in fighting our spiritual battles! Jesus knew how much we would need her as Mother and Model and so He gave her to us as He was dying on the Cross. Speaking to all of us through John Jesus said:

Behold your Mother

When we are in darkness, she intercedes that we may come into the light of Christ, and find strength remaining in Him – as Mary did on Calvary – keeping her eyes on Him!

 

[StephieNorthCo]

Thank you.

Incidentally, Tim Staples book “Behold Your Mother” is actually a pretty good read.

Tonight is my Adoration night. I look forward to that every week.

God bless,
Stephie

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks for your reply Stephie,

Thursdays are my Legion of Mary Meeting Days and I always like to make a visit to our Adoration Chapel before and after our meeting. It is a blessing to kneel before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. As a child in Catholic school we were encouraged to make little visits often to Jesus, and I can still remember making a little visit every morning before the school bell rang. In those days, we went home for lunch and then back to school and often there was time for another visit. As I grew older I was happy to live close enough to the Church to participate in daily Mass — so different for children and even some adults these days to have “time” to spend with the Lord.

Thanks, Stephie for your devotion to Jesus through Mary.