- In view of this, my dear Master, is it not astonishing and pitiful to see the ignorance and short-sightedness of men with regard to Your holy Mother? I am not speaking so much of idolaters and pagans who do not know You and consequently have no knowledge of her. I am not even speaking of heretics and schismatics who have left You and your holy Church and therefore are not interested in your holy Mother. I am speaking of Catholics, and even of educated Catholics, who profess to teach the faith to others but do not know You or Your Mother except speculatively, in a dry, cold and sterile way.
These people seldom speak of your Mother or devotion to her. They say they are afraid that devotion to her will be abused and that You will be offended by excessive honour paid to her. They protest loudly when they see or hear a devout servant of Mary speak frequently with feeling, conviction and vigour of devotion to her. When he speaks of devotion to her as a sure means of finding and loving You without fear or illusion, or when he says this devotion is a short road free from danger, or an immaculate way free from imperfection, or a wondrous secret of finding You, they put before him a thousand specious reasons to show him how wrong he is to speak so much of Mary. There are, they say, great abuses in this devotion which we should try to stamp out and we should refer people to You rather than exhort them to have devotion to your Mother, whom they already love adequately.
If they are sometimes heard speaking of devotion to your Mother, it is not for the purpose of promoting it or convincing people of it but only to destroy the abuses made of it. Yet all the while these persons are devoid of piety or genuine devotion to you, for they have no devotion to Mary. They consider the Rosary and the Scapular as devotions suitable only for simple women or ignorant people. After all, they say, we do not need them to be saved. If they come across one who loves our Lady, who says the rosary or shows any devotion towards her, they soon move him to a change of mind and heart. They advise him to say the seven penitential psalms instead of the Rosary, and to show devotion to Jesus instead of to Mary.
Dear Jesus, do these people possess your spirit? Do they please You by acting in this way? Would it please You if we were to make no effort to give pleasure to Your Mother because we are afraid of offending You? Does devotion to Your holy Mother hinder devotion to you? Does Mary keep for herself any honour we pay her? Is she a rival of Yours? Is she a stranger having no kinship with You? Does pleasing her imply displeasing You? Does the gift of oneself to her constitute a deprivation for You? Is love for her a lessening of our love for You?
