Mar. 16 - Wk 2 - Day 6 - "Seeking understanding of Mary and asking the Holy Spirit for this grace."

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In Chapter 6 of “True Devotion”, St. Louis lists 7 beautiful effects of this devotion. Here is one of them:

1. The soul of Mary will be communicated to you to glorify the Lord. Her spirit will take the place of yours to rejoice in God, her Saviour, but only if you are faithful to the practices of this devotion. As St. Ambrose says, “May the soul of Mary be in each one of us to glorify the Lord! May the spirit of Mary be in each one of us to rejoice in God!” “When will that happy day come,” asks a saintly man of our own day whose life was completely wrapped up in Mary, "when God’s Mother is enthroned in men’s hearts as Queen, subjecting them to the dominion of her great and princely Son? When will souls breathe Mary as the body breathes air?" When that time comes wonderful things will happen on earth. The Holy Spirit, finding his dear Spouse present again in souls, will come down into them with great power. He will fill them with his gifts, especially wisdom, by which they will produce wonders of grace. My dear friend, when will that happy time come, that age of Mary, when many souls, chosen by Mary and given her by the most High God, will hide themselves completely in the depths of her soul, becoming living copies of her, loving and glorifying Jesus? That day will dawn only when the devotion I teach is understood and put into practice. Ut adveniat regnum tuum, adveniat regnum Mariae: "Lord, that your kingdom may come, may the reign of Mary come!"

Gerard M. Hopkins, SJ wrote a beautiful poem entitled, "The Blessed Virgin Compared to the Air We Breathe". I suspect he read St. Louis de Montfort or at least experienced a similar grace which prompted St. Louis to include those words in his treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. If you’ve never read the poem, I hope you will find time to click on the link and ponder all the words of this poet.

Come Holy Spirit, fill us as you filled the soul of Mary:
Litany of the Holy Spirit: HERE
Ave Maris Stella HERE
Five decades of the Holy Rosary – praying with Faith, each “Our Father” slowly to listen, as Mary does with a humble and unselfish heart.

 

[hazcompat]

A garden bower in flower Grew waiting for Gods hand: Where no man ever trod,

This was the Gate of God. The first bower was red –

Her lips which "welcome" said. The second bower was blue – Her eyes that let God through. The third bower was white – Her soul in Gods sight.

Three bowers of love –

Now Christ from heaven above.

LAURENCE HOUSMAN

Peace

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks for the sweet poem, hazcompat! Yes, Mary inspires such beautiful art when a person remembers Jesus’ Words:

Behold Your Mother

Beautiful music, paintings, poetry, books of prose and those simple acts of loving kindness which God inspires and we see done so often by humble and loving persons who resemble her. Yes, and Yes, again, I want to cry out with St. Louis de Montfort:

…when will that happy time come, that age of Mary, when many souls, chosen by Mary and given her by the most High God, will hide themselves completely in the depths of her soul, becoming living copies of her, loving and glorifying Jesus?

Thanks for your love of Jesus and Mary, and for all those who do love and honor her in their lives, and share her with anyone they can.