I feel broken and overwhelmed

[AveSantaMaria]

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

**158 ** Show me a new road to our Lord, pave it with all the merits of the saints, adorn it with their heroic virtues, illuminate and enhance it with the splendour and beauty of the angels, have all the angels and saints there to guide and protect those who wish to follow it. Give me such a road and truly, I boldly say, --and I am telling the truth - that instead of this road, perfect through it be, I would still choose the immaculate way of Mary. It is a way, a road without stain or sport, without original sin or actual sin, without shadow or darkness. When our loving Jesus comes in glory once again to reign upon earth - as he certainly will - he will choose no other way than the Blessed Virgin, by whom he came so surely and so perfectly the first time. The difference between his first and his second coming is that the first was secret and hidden, but the second will be glorious and resplendent. Both are perfect because both are through Mary. Alas, this is a mystery which we cannot understand. “Here let every tongue be silent.”

** 4) * This devotion to our Lady is a sure way to go to Jesus and to acquire holiness through union with him.
a) The devotion which I teach is not new. Its history goes back so far that the time of its origin cannot be ascertained with any precision, as Fr. Boudon, who died a short time ago in the odour of sanctity, states in a book which he wrote on this devotion. (God alone or the Holy Slavery of the Admirable Mother of God) It is however certain that for more than seven hundred years we find traces of it in the Church.

St. Odilo, abbot of Cluny, who lived about the year 1040, was one of the first to practise it publicly in France as is told in his life.

Cardinal Peter Damian relates that in the year 1076 his brother, Blessed Marino, made himself the slave of the Blessed Virgin in the presence of his spiritual director in a most edifying manner. He placed a rope around his neck, scourged himself and placed on the altar a sum of money as a token of his devotion and consecration to our Lady. He remained so faithful to this consecration all his life that he merited to be visited and consoled on his deathbed by his dear Queen and hear from her lips the promise of paradise in reward for his service.

Caesarius Bollandus mentions a famous knight, Vautier de Birbak, a close relative of the Dukes of Louvain, who about the year 1300 consecrated himself to the Blessed Virgin.

This devotion was also practised privately by many people up to the seventeenth century, when it became publicly known.

**160. ***** Father Simon de Rojas of the order of the Holy Trinity for the Redemptin of Captives, court preacher to Philip III, made this devotion popular throughout Spain and Germany. Through the intervention of Philip III, he obtained from Gregory XV valuable indulgences for those who practised it.

Father de Los Rios of the order of St. Augustine, together with his intimate friend, Father de Rojas, worked hard, propagating it throughout Spain and Germany by preaching and writing. He composed a large volume entitled Hierarchia Mariana, where he treats of the antiquity, the excellence and the soundness of this devotion, with as much devotion as learning.

The Theatine Fathers in the seventeenth century established this devotion in Italy, Sicily, and Savoy.

**161. ** Father Stanislaus Phalacius of the Society of Jesus spread this devotion widely in Poland.

Father de Los Rios in the book quoted above mentions the names of princes and princesses, bishops and cardinals of different countries who embraced this devotion.

Father Cornelius a Lapide, noted both for holiness and profound learning, was commissioned by several bishops and theologians to examine it. The praise he gave it after mature examination, is a worthy tribute to his own holiness. Many other eminent men followed his example.

The Jesuit Fathers, ever zealous in the service of our Blessed Lady, presented on behalf of the sodalities of Cologne to Duke Ferdinand of Bavaria, the then archbishop of Cologne, a little treatise on the devotion, and he gave it his approval and granted permission to have it printed. He exhorted all priests and religious of his diocese to do their utmost to spread this solid devotion.

Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

 

[AveSantaMaria]

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

** 161. ** Father Stanislaus Phalacius of the Society of Jesus spread this devotion widely in Poland.
Father de Los Rios in the book quoted above mentions the names of princes and princesses, bishops and cardinals of different countries who embraced this devotion.
Father Cornelius a Lapide, noted both for holiness and profound learning, was commissioned by several bishops and theologians to examine it. The praise he gave it after mature examination, is a worthy tribute to his own holiness. Many other eminent men followed his example.

The Jesuit Fathers, ever zealous in the service of our Blessed Lady, presented on behalf of the sodalities of Cologne to Duke Ferdinand of Bavaria, the then archbishop of Cologne, a little treatise on the devotion, and he gave it his approval and granted permission to have it printed. He exhorted all priests and religious of his diocese to do their utmost to spread this solid devotion.

**162 ** Cardinal de Berulle, whose memory is venerated throughout France, was outstandingly zealous in furthering the devotion in France, despite the calumnies and persecution he suffered at the hands of critics and evil men. They accused him of introducing novelty and superstition. They composed and published a libellous tract against him and they – or rather the devil in them – used a thousand strategems to prevent him from spreading the devotion in France. But this eminent and saintly man responded to their calumnies with calm patience. He wrote a little book in reply to their libel and forcefully refuted the objections contained in it. He pointed out that this devotion is founded on the example given by Jesus Christ, on the obligations we have towards him and on the promises we made in holy baptism. It was maintly this last reason which silenced his enemies. He made clear to them that this consecration to the Blessed Virgin, and through her to Jesus, is nothing less than a perfect renewal of the promises and vows of baptism. He said many beautiful things concerning this devotion which can be read in his works.

**163 ** In Fr. Boudon’s book, we read of the different popes who gave their approval to this devotion, the theologians who examined it, the hostility it encountered and overcame, the thousands who made it their own without censure from any pope. Indeed it could not be condemned without overthrowing the foundations of Christianity.
It is obvious then that this devition is not new. If it is not commonly practised, the reason is that it is too sublime to be appreciated and undertaken by everyone.

**164 ** b) This devotion is a safe means of going to Jesus Christ, because it is Mary’s role to lead us safely to her Son; just as it is the role of our Lord to lead us to the eternal Father. Those who are spiritually minded should not fall into the error of thinking that Mary hinders our union with God. How could this possibly happen? How could Mary, who found grace with God for everyone in general and each one in particular, prevent a soul from obtaining the supreme grace of union with him?

It is quite true that the example of other people, no matter how holy, can sometimes impair union with God, but not so our Blessed Lady, as I have said and shall never weary of repeating. One reason why so few souls come to the fulness of the age of Jesus is that Mary who is still as much as ever his Mother and the fruitful spouse of the Holy Spirit is not formed well enough in their hearts. If we desire a ripe and perfectly formed fruit, we must possess the tree that bears it. If we desire the fruit of life, Jesus Christ, we must possess the tree of life which is Mary. If we desire to have the Holy Spirit working within us, we must possess his faithful and inseparable spouse, Mary, whom as I have said elsewhere, he can make fruitful.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

 

[AveSantaMaria]

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

**165. ** Rest assured that the more you turn to Mary in your prayers, meditaitons, actions and sufferings, seeing her if not perhaps clearly and distinctly, at least in a general and indistinct way, the more surely will you discover Jesus. For he is always greater, more powerful, more active and more mysterious when acting through Mary than he is in any other creature in the universe, or even in heaven. Thus Mary, so divinely favoured and so lost in God, is far from being an obstacle to good people who are striving for union with him. There has never been and there never will be a creature so ready to help us in achieving that union more effectively, for she will dispense to us all the graces to attain that end. As a saint once remarked, “Only Mary knows how to fill our minds with the thought of God.” Moreover Mary will safeguard us against the deception and cunning of the evil one.

** 166. ** When Mary is present, the evil one is absent. One of the unmistakeable signs that a person is led by the spirit of God is the devotion he has to Mary, and his habit of thinking and speaking of her. This is the opinion of a saint, who goes on to say that just as breathing is a proof that the body is not dead, so the habitual thought of Mary and loving converse with her is a proof that the soul is not spiritually dead in sin.

**167. ** Since Mary alone has crushed all heresies, as we are told by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, (Office of B.V.M.), a devoted servant of hers will never fall into formal heresy or error, though critics may contest this. He may very well err materially, mistaking lies for truth or an evil spirit for a good one, but he will be less likely to do this than others. Sooner or later he will discover his error and will not go on stubbornly believing and maintaining what he mistakenly thought was the truth.

**168. ** Whoever then wishes to advance along the road to holiness and be sure of encountering the true Christ, without fear of the illusions which afflict many devout people, should take up “with valiant heart and willing spirit” (2 Macc. 1:3) this devotion to Mary which perhaps he had not heard about. Even if it is new to him, let him enter upon this excellent way which I am now revealing to him. “I will show you a more excellent way.” (1 Cor. 12:31)

It was opened up by Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom. He is our one and only Head, and we, his members, cannot go wrong in following him. It is a smooth way made easy by the fulness of grace, the unction of the Holy Spirit. In our progress along this road, we do not weaken or turn back. It is a quick way and leads us to Jesus in a short time. It is a perfect way without mud or dust or any vileness of sin. Finally, it is a reliable way, for it is direct and sure, having no turnings to right or left but leading us straight to Jesus and to life eternal.

Let us then take this road and travel along it night and day until we arrive at the fulness of the age of Jesus Christ.

Who is this saint, St. Louis Mary de Montfort, who influenced four
Popes? His Holiness Pope Leo XIII, His Holiness Pope Pius X, His Holiness Pope Pius XII, and His Holiness Pope John Paul II who wrote that this book True Devotion to Mary montfort.org.uk/Writings/TrueDev.html and
**Secret of the Rosary ** montfort.org.uk/Writings/Rosary.html by St. Louis Mary de Montfort was a “decisive turning point” in his life that he "read and re-read" in the seminary, as well as writing those above reflections. Maybe I should post his bio here as well, but one interesting version of his biography can be read here: thesacredheart.com/sts/montfor.htm

The most famous followers of True Devotion to Mary other than St. Louis Mary de Montfort are His Holiness Pope John Paul II and St. Maximilian Maria.

Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

 

[AveSantaMaria]

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

Polish Saint Maximilian Maria studied philosophy, theology, mathematics, and physics as a college student, before earning a doctorate in philosophy and a doctorate in theology in Rome, while suffering from tuberculosis. He became a priest, changed his name to Maria from Kolbe to venerate the Immaculate Heart of Mary, sheltered 2,000 Jews in his friary during the Holocaust, and when taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp offered to die in place of another man since that man had family and he did not as an abstinent fiar. During his time in the cell, he led the men in songs and prayer. Finally, after three weeks of dehydration and starvation, he was injected with carbolic acid and died. He is reported on the Jewish Virtual Library as Righteous Among the Nations. It shows that no matter how dire the situation God can continue to strengthen us. jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Kolbe.html.He founded Slaves of the Immaculata, www.consecration.com. More information: acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2005/09/st-maximilian-kolbe.html

P.S. I requested information about the Militia of the Immaculata from www.consecration.com, and I received the free information as well as a free Miraculous Medal, which I wear daily. Once, when I was under spiritual attack, I felt a Mary medal that I had and it was warm and heavy, I put it on and I think it was protecting me!!! I am hoping that this Catholic community will be a vehicle for us involved to devoutly serve God through Mary and a loving community that I can invite others to

I also read St. Faustina’s Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul today, I am re-reading it from the very beginning in the hopes that I will be able to prayerfully reflect on each and every passage. I thought of you as I read it as you sound like a very passionate person. She starts her diary while in her late teens, recounting all basically from the eighteenth year of her life, though she has a short excerpt from when she was seven, and she has quotes such as *Notebook 1, #15, “And yet, I sensed that I had a heart so big that nothing would be capable of filling it. And so I turned with all the longing of my soul to God.” * saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS1.shtml You are invited to read it with me if you might like and to pm me with any questions

She has a very passionate, spousal relationship with Christ. I suspect that if you come to think of Christ as your spouse and invite him into your life, and he is: physically, emotionally, spiritually in all ways a true spouse and bridegroom, it may help heal some of the scars that homosexuality has left on your soul and heart.

In the Papal Encyclical, Love Conqures All: vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est_en.html
we learn about the two loves: the self-seeking and the self-sacrificing. Both are in search of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, but maybe you need to experience more of the self-seeking love, where God through Mary graces you with his love and heals you and fills you up → so that you will have that love to share with others later in the self-sacrificial way that God through Mary calls us to love.

And, even in this Diary, we still see the influence of the Mother of God in directing St. Faustina to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. Jesus tells her in Notebook 1, #31, “During this adoration try to unite yourself in prayer with my Mother. Pray with all your heart in union with Mary and try also during this time to make the Way of the Cross.” In fact, St. Faustina later became St. Faustina of the Blessed Sacrament, but she was first led by Our Lord and Savior to the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, showing again the amazing, powerful, matronly influence of the Mother of the Word in her saintly life:thumbsup:

Maybe, just possibly, Mary is a saint-maker Notice how many great saints name themselves after her: St. Louis Mary de Montfort, St. Maximilian Maria, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was revealed through revelations/apparitions. (The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus comes from St. Margaret Mary Alacoque) Maybe if we re-name ourselves after the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we will receive more of her in our souls

Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

 

[AveSantaMaria]

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

More on the Most Holy Rosary!!!

From: traditioninaction.org/religious/d015rprosaryRemedy_Galitzin.html

St. Louis Mary de Montfort quote: "If you say the Rosary faithfully until death, I do assure you that, in spite of the gravity of your sins, ‘you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory.’(1 Peter 5:4) Even if you are on the brink of damnation, even if you have one foot in Hell, even if you have sold your soul to the Devil as the sorcerers of black magic, and even if you are a heretic as obstinate as a Devil, sooner of later you will be converted, will amend your life and save your soul, **if - and mark well what I say - if you say the Rosary devoutly every day until death for the purpose of knowing the truth and obtaining contrition and pardon for your sins. **

"In these latter times in which we live, the Most Holy Virgin has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary. She has given this efficacy to such an extent that ** there is no problem, ** no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world or of the religious communities, or even of the life of people and nations, **that cannot be solved by the Rosary.

There is no problem I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary. With the Holy ROsary we will save ourselves. We will sanctify ourselves. We will console Our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls.** From Sister Lucy, one of the three children seers at Fatima when Our Lady of the Rosary appeared and the sun danced"

Excerpt from Vie par elle-meme by St. Margaret Mary Aloque, to whom was revealed the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, *"The blessed virgin has always taken great care of me. I had recourse to her in all my necessities and she has preserved me from great dangers. I did not dare address myself to her divine son, but only to her and I often presented her with the little crown of the rosary, which I said on my bare knees, or genuflecting and kissing the ground at every Ave Maria. * episcopalacademy.org/drum/trea/TREA5-06/Wrighttrea06a.pdf

“The one who prays a lot saves himself. The one who prays little is in danger. The one who does not pray loses his soul.” St. Padre Pio

St. Padre Pio “Here we are at last in the month of our beautiful Mother once again… This dear Mother continues to lavish her maternal care upon me, especially during the present month. She takes care of me to an exceeding degree… I am all aflame although there is no fire. I feel myself held fast and bound to the Son by means of this Mother… I’d like to fly off to invite all creatures to love Jesus and Mary.”

“Love our Lady, make others love her. Always say your Rosary and say it well. Satan always tries to destroy this prayer, but he will never succeed. It is the prayer of her who triumphs over everything and everyone.”

Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *