"...help for souls seeking holiness..."

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

From St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”:

1. The Holy Spirit has inspired saintly souls with other practices of true devotion to the Blessed Virgin, all of which are conducive to holiness. You can read of them in detail in “Paradise opened to Philagia”, a collection of many devotions practised by holy people to honour the Blessed Virgin, compiled by Fr. Paul Barry of the Society of Jesus. These devotions are a wonderful help for souls seeking holiness provided they are performed in a worthy manner, that is:

(1) With the right intention of pleasing God alone, seeking union with Jesus, our last end, and giving edification to our neighbour.

(2) With attention, avoiding willful distractions.

(3) With devotion, avoiding haste and negligence.

(4) With decorum and respectful bodily posture.

The Perfect Practice

1. Having read nearly every book on devotion to the Blessed Virgin and talked to the most saintly and learned people of the day, I can now state with conviction that I have never known or heard of any devotion to our Lady which is comparable to the one I am going to speak of. No other devotion calls for more sacrifices for God, none empties us more completely of self and self-love, none keeps us more firmly in the grace of God and the grace of God in us. No other devotion unites us more perfectly and more easily to Jesus. Finally no devotion gives more glory to God, is more sanctifying for ourselves or more helpful to our neighbour.
2. As this devotion essentially consists in a state of soul, it will not be understood in the same way by everyone. Some - the great majority - will stop short at the threshold and go no further. Others - not many - will take but one step into its interior. Who will take a second step? Who will take a third? Finally who will remain in it permanently? Only the one to whom the Spirit of Jesus reveals the secret. The Holy Spirit himself will lead this faithful soul from strength to strength, from grace to grace, from light to light, until at length he attains transformation into Jesus in the fullness of his age on earth and of his glory in heaven.

Come, Holy Spirit!

 

[Peonies]

Thank you for always posting about devotion to our Blessed Mother @MariaChristi!

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks, Peonies, for your sweet reply. It is my joy to keep posting about devotion to our Blessed Mother. I really owe it to Jesus and Mary for all they have done for me and for all God’s children. They suffered so much for all of us, while being innocent of sin themselves.

Especially in the Catholic Church today, there seems to be so much less honor paid to our Mother. You may hve seen my words descibing this lack before and also my quoting Pope St. John Paul II who said, in an Address to the Legion of Mary in October, 1982:

… Where the Mother is, there too is the Son. When one moves away from the Mother, sooner or later he ends up keeping distant from the Son as well. It is no wonder that today, in various sectors of secularized society, we note a widespread crisis of faith in God, preceded by a drop in devotion to the Virgin Mother…

Please let us pray for one another, for the Church and for all those in most need of God’s Mercy, through Mary, always!

.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear patricius,

Thanks again for your “faithful heart” and your love for our Mother Mary. Let us continue please to pray for one another, for the Church and for all those in most need of God’s Mercy.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Dorothy,

Thanks for your “heart” letting us know that you’ve read St. Louis de Montfort’s words and appreciate the help he offers us on our path to holiness! Please let us pray for one another, for the Church, and for all those in most need of God’s Mercy.