"Dwell in Jacob"

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As mentioned already, St. Louis de Montfort was steeped in scripture. Sometimes the words he uses may be unfamiliar to us who are not so “steeped” in God’s Word. We also may have different translations. Today, I was happy to dig a bit deeper into the phrase “Dwell in Jacob” as St. Louis uses this phrase. Later in his treatise on “True Devotion” he will go further into the spiritual meaning of the Old Testament story of Jacob and Esau. Continuing with Chapter One today, we read:

1. Mary has authority over the angels and the blessed in heaven. As a reward for her great humility, God gave her the power and the mission of assigning to saints the thrones made vacant by the apostate angels who fell away through pride.

Such is the will of almighty God who exalts the humble, that the powers of heaven, earth and hell, willingly or unwillingly, must obey the commands of the humble Virgin Mary. For God has made her queen of heaven and earth, leader of his armies, keeper of his treasures, dispenser of his graces, worker of his wonders, restorer of the human race, mediatrix on behalf of men, destroyer of his enemies, and faithful associate in his great works and triumphs.

1. God the Father wishes Mary to be the mother of his children until the end of time and so he says to her, “Dwell in Jacob”, that is to say, take up your abode permanently in my children, in my holy ones represented by Jacob, and not in the children of the devil and sinners represented by Esau.
2. Just as in natural and bodily generation there is a father and a mother, so in the supernatural and spiritual generation there is a father who is God and a mother who is Mary. All true children of God have God for their father and Mary for their mother; anyone who does not have Mary for his mother, does not have God for his father. This is why the reprobate, such as heretics and schismatics, who hate, despise or ignore the Blessed Virgin, do not have God for their father though they arrogantly claim they have, because they do not have Mary for their mother. Indeed if they had her for their mother they would love and honour her as good and true children naturally love and honour the mother who gave them life.

An infallible and unmistakable sign by which we can distinguish a heretic, a man of false doctrine, an enemy of God, from one of God’s true friends is that the heretic and the hardened sinner show nothing but contempt and indifference for our Lady. He endeavours by word and example, openly or insidiously - sometimes under specious pretexts - to belittle the love and veneration shown to her. God the Father has not told Mary to dwell in them because they are, alas, other Esaus.

I did some research on the phrase “Dwell in Jacob” and found a verse in the Latin translation of the Old Testament Book of Ecclesiaticus (Sirach) which says:

24:13 And he said to me: Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thy inheritance in Israel, and take root in my elect.

For the entire chapter 24 see http://www.catholicdoors.com/bible/sirach.htm