"... interior practices of true devotion to the Blessed Virgin..."

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Having explained differences between “true” and “false” devotion to Mary, St. Louis de Montfort returns now to the first mark of true devotion – it is: “interior”, and he helps us by sharing several interior practices listed in his treatise on "True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin"

1. There are several interior practices of true devotion to the Blessed Virgin. Here briefly are the main ones:

(1) Honouring her, as the worthy Mother of God, by the cult of hyperdulia, that is, esteeming and honouring her more than all the other saints as the masterpiece of grace and the foremost in holiness after Jesus Christ, true God and true man.

(2) Meditating on her virtues, her privileges and her actions.

(3) Contemplating her sublime dignity.

(4) Offering to her acts of love, praise and gratitude.

(5) Invoking her with a joyful heart.

(6) Offering ourselves to her and uniting ourselves to her.

(7) Doing everything to please her.

(8) Beginning, carrying out and completing our actions through her, in her, with her, and for her in order to do them through Jesus, in Jesus, with Jesus, and for Jesus, our last end. We shall explain this last practice later.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful. Kindle in us the Fire of Your Love. Today is Saturday, the day Catholics (for centuries) considered to be “Mary’s Day” in honor of the great supernatural faith in which she persevered, believing Jesus would rise from the dead, as she heard Him say, and she waited with great hope and above all great love for God and for us, because of her love for Him. May we learn from Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to persevere in those same supernatural Gifts given to us in our Baptism: the Supernatural virtues of Faith, Hope and above all Charity!

 

[patricius79]

Thanks MariaChristi. May we always invoke and praise our Blessed Mother ,our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

Here again is St. Bonaventure:

Princes have persecuted me without cause: and the wicked spirit fears the invocation of
thy name.
There is much peace to them that keep thy name, O Mother of God: and to them there is
no stumbling-block.
At the seven hours I have sung praises to thee, O Lady: according to thy word give me
understanding.
Let my prayer come into thy sight, that I may not forsake thee, O Lady, all the days of my
life: for thy ways are mercy and truth.
I will long forever to praise thee, O Lady: when thou shalt have taught me thy justifications.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.n...re-The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary.pdf

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear patricius,

Thanks for your “heart” and for your reply, which lets us know your own love for Mary and your appreciation for St. Louis de Montfort’s words in his treatise on “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”. Thanks also for another quote from St. Bonaventure. St. Bonaventure, and St. Louis de Montfort wrote from their minds and hearts, the Truth God gave them. Jesus so honored His Mother, and told us from His Cross:

“Behold your Mother.”

St. John the Beloved Disciple and and all the saints obed those words of Jesus, and so must we, if we are to follow Jesus as they did.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Anna and Stephie,

Thank you both for your “hearts” and your appreciation for St. Louis de Montfort’s words, helping us to practice “True” Devotion to our Mather Mary. I wonder, in today’s culture, how many Catholics can remember or ever learned the word, “hyperdulia” as St. Louis de Montfort used it in describing the first interior practice of true devotion:

(1) Honoring her, as the worthy Mother of God, by the cult of hyperdulia, that is, esteeming and honoring her more than all the other saints as the masterpiece of grace and the foremost in holiness after Jesus Christ, true God and true man.

Some seem to have forgotten Mary or begun to see her as not so important, but the Catholic Church clearly states in the Catechism:

DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN

971 “All generations will call me blessed”: “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.” The Church rightly honors “the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. **From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs… This very special devotion … differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.”**The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole Gospel,” express this devotion to the Virgin Mary.

The word “intrinsic” used in the first sentence of this paragraph on “Devotion to the Blessed Virgin” assures us that we cannot do without Mary! Special Devotion to her is so important, yet it does not take anything away from our devotion to to God but rather “fosters” our adoration of The Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The Latin word “latria” is used for the honor we give to God alone. Hyperdulia is the Latin for honor we give Mary which is not the same as the honor we give God, but is higher than “dulia” the word used to describe honor given to the saints. Mary far exceeds all the Saints in holiness as she is God’s Masterpiece of grace and foremost in holiness after Jesus Christ, True God and True Man.