How I found Mary with St. Louis de Montfort's help

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AveOTheotokos

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St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion to Mary” is an amazing piece of work! It has been integral to my coming to better understand Mary’s role in our lives. On this 300th anniversary of his death, I figured it would be a great day to share a story about my discovery of him and his writings…

I used to struggle to understand as to why so many Catholics have such a strong devotion to Mary. It made no sense to me for people to focus on the Lord’s mother so much instead of just focusing on him. I was raised Catholic and went to a Catholic school as a child. I have always had friends who had a devotion to Mary, but I just never got it. I always prayed Marian prayers when they were said in a group, but didn’t use them privately. I just didn’t understand and didn’t have any relationship to Mary…

One dreary, rainy afternoon, this question returned to me and I felt strangely called to seek out answers. I decided to close my eyes and pray to Jesus to ask him that if he truly wanted me to have a relationship with his Mother, to please help me to understand. My mind then drifted to how my sins hurt Jesus.

Suddenly, a new thought popped into my head that I had never once considered… My sins not only hurt Jesus, but also his Mother. She was perfectly obedient to God’s will, yet her Son was sacrificed for my sins. I then imagined Mary not as the smiling cheerful woman holding the child Jesus, but tearful and heartbroken. She was the silent and forgotten victim of my sins…
For the first time in my life, and nearly on the verge of tears I apologized to Mary for how my sins had hurt her. I apologized for forgetting and ignoring her and for completely overlooking the role she played and the sacrifice she made for our salvation.

At that time, through closed eyelids, I noticed the room slowly beginning to get brighter. As I opened my eyes and looked around, I noticed that the sun had broken through the clouds and it’s rays were what had brightened the room. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace come over me. I looked at the clock, and noticed it was 3:00pm.

I began searching through the forums here, trying to make sense of these new thoughts that had popped into my head, and I found for the first time an image of Our Lady of Sorrows. I began reading about her and Marian devotions, and saw a mention of St. Louis de Montfort and his “True Devotion to Mary”. I began reading it and have never looked back. My spiritual life has since been flourishing like never before. From that day on, I have felt a great closeness to Mary, and I pray a “Hail Holy Queen” every day at 3:00pm to thank her for coming into my life in such a special way to help lead me closer to her Son…

I highly recommend that everyone take a look at St. Louis de Montfort and his writings to see how they can move your soul and bring you closer to Jesus through Mary.
 
AveOTheotokos said:
St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion to Mary” is an amazing piece of work! It has been integral to my coming to better understand Mary’s role in our lives. On this 300th anniversary of his death, I figured it would be a great day to share a story about my discovery of him and his writings…

I used to struggle to understand as to why so many Catholics have such a strong devotion to Mary. It made no sense to me for people to focus on the Lord’s mother so much instead of just focusing on him. I was raised Catholic and went to a Catholic school as a child. I have always had friends who had a devotion to Mary, but I just never got it. I always prayed Marian prayers when they were said in a group, but didn’t use them privately. I just didn’t understand and didn’t have any relationship to Mary…

One dreary, rainy afternoon, this question returned to me and I felt strangely called to seek out answers. I decided to close my eyes and pray to Jesus to ask him that if he truly wanted me to have a relationship with his Mother, to please help me to understand. My mind then drifted to how my sins hurt Jesus.

Suddenly, a new thought popped into my head that I had never once considered… My sins not only hurt Jesus, but also his Mother. She was perfectly obedient to God’s will, yet her Son was sacrificed for my sins. I then imagined Mary not as the smiling cheerful woman holding the child Jesus, but tearful and heartbroken. She was the silent and forgotten victim of my sins…
For the first time in my life, and nearly on the verge of tears I apologized to Mary for how my sins had hurt her. I apologized for forgetting and ignoring her and for completely overlooking the role she played and the sacrifice she made for our salvation.

At that time, through closed eyelids, I noticed the room slowly beginning to get brighter. As I opened my eyes and looked around, I noticed that the sun had broken through the clouds and it’s rays were what had brightened the room. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace come over me. I looked at the clock, and noticed it was 3:00pm.

I began searching through the forums here, trying to make sense of these new thoughts that had popped into my head, and I found for the first time an image of Our Lady of Sorrows. I began reading about her and Marian devotions, and saw a mention of St. Louis de Montfort and his “True Devotion to Mary”. I began reading it and have never looked back. My spiritual life has since been flourishing like never before. From that day on, I have felt a great closeness to Mary, and I pray a “Hail Holy Queen” every day at 3:00pm to thank her for coming into my life in such a special way to help lead me closer to her Son…

I highly recommend that everyone take a look at St. Louis de Montfort and his writings to see how they can move your soul and bring you closer to Jesus through Mary.
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Dear AveOTheotokos,

Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful “discovery of Mary” with the help of St. Louis de Montfort. I too have been helped greatly by this Saint and continue re-reading his treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The online version of this book is also helpful when I want to share some of his beautiful insights . See HERE. I have two hard copies, one is heavily underlined and falling apart, so I bought another copy recently with our Legion of Mary group, so we can all read from the same translation and refer to the same page numbers. The more I read this little gem of a book, the more I learn how to love Jesus through Mary more deeply. How Merciful and Loving God is in all He provides for us!
 
Thank you for that very touching and inspirational story AveOTheotokos!
 
MariaChristi said:
Dear AveOTheotokos,

Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful “discovery of Mary” with the help of St. Louis de Montfort. I too have been helped greatly by this Saint and continue re-reading his treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The online version of this book is also helpful when I want to share some of his beautiful insights . See HERE. I have two hard copies, one is heavily underlined and falling apart, so I bought another copy recently with our Legion of Mary group, so we can all read from the same translation and refer to the same page numbers. The more I read this little gem of a book, the more I learn how to love Jesus through Mary more deeply. How Merciful and Loving God is in all He provides for us!
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Thank you so much for that link. You cannot possibly be the same after having read that. I cannot imagine what wonders further study of this could bring.
 
Hi, thank you for sharing this. I myself have read the book Secret of the Rosary by St Louis de Montfort and might want to read it again.

Please read his other works. It’s available here.
 
I love seeing how many people his writings have brought closer to Our Lady :yyeess:
 
It’s the only book you will ever really need on devotion to Our Lady, IMHO. Everything else is just fodder in comparison. Not meant to be a slight to anybody else, but nothing else really compares. This was a book that was safely hidden during the French Revolution. The players of said revolution were freemasons, which is a nice little kicker, since the Masons and the Church have been mortal enemies for the last couple centuries. The Saint who wrote the book was ostracized a good amount of his life, and he was poisoned by the Calvinists. Considering the contexts alone, there is little doubt that the Saint had stumbled upon something big time.

Whatever little love you give to Our Lady, She’ll give it back to you, and then some. Let Her work wonders in you. You’ll never be the same again.
 
multitude said:
It’s the only book you will ever really need on devotion to Our Lady, IMHO. Everything else is just fodder in comparison. Not meant to be a slight to anybody else, but nothing else really compares. This was a book that was safely hidden during the French Revolution. The players of said revolution were freemasons, which is a nice little kicker, since the Masons and the Church have been mortal enemies for the last couple centuries. The Saint who wrote the book was ostracized a good amount of his life, and he was poisoned by the Calvinists. Considering the contexts alone, there is little doubt that the Saint had stumbled upon something big time.

Whatever little love you give to Our Lady, She’ll give it back to you, and then some. Let Her work wonders in you. You’ll never be the same again.
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Dear multitude,

I agree. Though others have written well, I believe that St. Louis De Montfort’s “True Devotion” is the “gold standard” if anyone is seeking to love Jesus and Mary more. I continue to re-read it and renew my Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary. Like Scripture, this small book contains food for a lifetime and indeed is a “saint-maker” for those who take God seriously.

How the Church needs Catholics who are not content with mediocrity, but seek to give their ALL, as Jesus and Mary did on Calvary. By God’s Grace may we do as St. John Paul did and take for our motto “Totus Tuus” (ALL Yours) and like Bl. Mother Theresa of Calcutta, do “something beautiful for God”. Mother Teresa encouraged her Missionaries of Charity to consecrate themselves using St. Louis De Montfort’s method in “True Devotion”. She used De Montfort’s words to Mary: “Give me your heart”.

Would that more persons sought to have their hearts transformed as the saints did!
St. Louis De Montfort, St. John Paul II, Bl Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.
Mary, Queen of all hearts, give us your heart!
 
MariaChristi said:
Dear multitude,

I agree. Though others have written well, I believe that St. Louis De Montfort’s “True Devotion” is the “gold standard” if anyone is seeking to love Jesus and Mary more. I continue to re-read it and renew my Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary. Like Scripture, this small book contains food for a lifetime and indeed is a “saint-maker” for those who take God seriously.

How the Church needs Catholics who are not content with mediocrity, but seek to give their ALL, as Jesus and Mary did on Calvary. By God’s Grace may we do as St. John Paul did and take for our motto “Totus Tuus” (ALL Yours) and like Bl. Mother Theresa of Calcutta, do “something beautiful for God”. Mother Teresa encouraged her Missionaries of Charity to consecrate themselves using St. Louis De Montfort’s method in “True Devotion”. She used De Montfort’s words to Mary: “Give me your heart”.

Would that more persons sought to have their hearts transformed as the saints did!
St. Louis De Montfort, St. John Paul II, Bl Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.
Mary, Queen of all hearts, give us your heart!
Click to expand...
MariaChristi,

Do you have any other books or links regarding Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary? Thanks!
 
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