Marks of "false" devotions and marks of "authentic devotion"

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we conclude the descriptions of “false devotions” and introduce the marks of “authentic devotion” as described by St. Louis de Montfort in his treatise on “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”:

Hypocritical devotees

1. There is another category of false devotees of our Lady, - hypocritical ones. These hide their sins and evil habits under the mantle of the Blessed Virgin so as to appear to their fellow-men different from what they are.

Self-interested devotees

1. Then there are the self-interested devotees who turn to her only to win a court-case, to escape some danger, to be cured of some ailment, or have some similar need satisfied. Except when in need they never think of her. Such people are acceptable neither to God not to his Mother.
2. We must, then, carefully avoid joining the critical devotees, who believe nothing and find fault with everything; the scrupulous ones who, out of respect for our Lord, are afraid of having too much devotion to his Mother; the exterior devotees whose devotion consists entirely in outward practices; the presumptuous devotees who under cover of a fictitious devotion to our Lady wallow in their sins; the inconstant devotees who, being unstable, change their devotional practices or abandon them altogether at the slightest temptation; the hypocritical ones who join confraternities and wear emblems of our Lady only to be thought of as good people; finally, the self-interested devotees who pray to our Lady only to be rid of bodily ills or to obtain material benefits.

2. Marks of authentic devotion to our Lady

1. After having explained and condemned false devotions to the Blessed Virgin we shall now briefly describe what true devotion is. It is interior, trustful, holy, constant and disinterested.

Come, Holy Spirit, bring us into all Your Truth and Love!

 

[patricius79]

After having explained and condemned false devotions to the Blessed Virgin we shall now briefly describe what true devotion is. It is interior, trustful, holy, constant and disinterested.

Below is a passage that has been helping me lately

Blessed Pope Piux IX wrote that we should have “utter confidence” in Mary in all things:

Let all the children of the Catholic Church, who are so very dear to us, hear these words of ours. With a still more ardent zeal for piety, religion and love, let them continue to venerate, invoke and pray to the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, conceived without original sin. Let them fly with utter confidence to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears. Under her guidance, under her patronage, under her kindness and protection, nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless. Because, while bearing toward us a truly motherly affection and having in her care the work of our salvation, she is solicitous about the whole human race. And since she has been appointed by God to be the Queen of heaven and earth, and is exalted above all the choirs of angels and saints, and even stands at the right hand of her only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, she presents our petitions in a most efficacious manner. What she asks, she obtains. Her pleas can never be unheard.
Ineffabilis Deus - Papal Encyclicals

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear patricius,

Thanks for your “heart” and also for this reply – sharing with us words from Blessed Pope Pius IX’s Encyclical. Confidence is synonymous with trust – the second quality of “authentic” devotion in the five marks of devotion St. Louis de Montfort listed in paragraph 105: Interior, trustful, holy, constant and disinterested. I wonder if the Pope read "True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

In today’s post we will look at paragraph 106, in which St. Louis wrote about “interior” devotion and God willing, tomorrow we will post his words on " trustful". Your quote from the Pope’s encyclical shows how the saint’s writings are consistent with Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church. We do well to listen to all three of those sources of God’s Revelation. Mary is important to God and therefore is important for all of us.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Stephie,

Thanks for your “heart” which lets us know you read and appreciated St. Louis de Montfort’s words from “True Devotion to the blessed Virgin”. The more prayerfully we listen, the more we learn!

 

[Mary888]

Thank you for your post!
Sometimes I commit the sin of anger when I see some politicians and other public figures using the Mother of God’s name and icon idly in political speeches or to get votes from believers. I get so mad. I don’t want to judge their faith, maybe they were taught wrong from the start, that all is acceptable, I pray God helps me to ignore what they do, but I can’t help by noticing that they do not dare using Jesus Christ’s name in vain.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Mary,

God’s word tells us: “Be angry, but do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26), It seems to me you are angry that Mary is dishonored. That seems not to be a sin, especially when you are seeking to forgive ignorance on their part – you are not therefore condemning them, but rather are angry at their actions, and their words. Disrespect for God’s Mother is not something we want to accept or ignore. We need to pray for politicians who do such things. Jesus told us to love our enemies – so even though we hate the sin, we are called to pray for sinners.

I’m sure you repent of the “feelings of anger” since we are called to love and it is good always to acknowledge our weaknesses. God loves a contrite and humble heart. Let us continue, please to pray for one another, for the Church and for all those in most need of God’s Mercy. Thanks for your reply and for your love and concern for our Mother’s honor.

 

[Justin_Mary]

Blessed Pope Piux IX wrote that we should have “utter confidence” in Mary in all things:

How does one fly to Mary for recourse in all things, yet remain disinterested.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Justin_Mary,

Thanks for the good question, St. Louis de Montfort describes what he means by “disinterested” in this paragraph:

1. Fifth, true devotion to Mary is disinterested. It inspires us to seek God alone in his Blessed Mother and not ourselves. The true subject of Mary does not serve his illustrious Queen for selfish gain. He does not serve her for temporal or eternal well-being but simply and solely because she has the right to be served and God alone in her. He loves her not so much because she is good to him or because he expects something from her, but simply because she is lovable. That is why he loves and serves her just as faithfully in weariness and dryness of soul as in sweet and sensible fervour. He loves her as much on Calvary as at Cana. How pleasing and precious in the sight of God and his holy Mother must these servants of Mary be, who serve her without any self-seeking. How rare they are nowadays! It is to increase their number that I have taken up my pen to write down what I have been teaching with success both publicly and in private in my missions for many years.

You read only up to paragraph #105 but each mark of “true devotion” is explained in turn in “[True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin]”(Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin | EWTN)". You can read the entire treatise on line, just click on the title.

 

[Justin_Mary]

Thanks for the good question, St. Louis de Montfort describes what he means by “disinterested” in this paragraph:

Thank you. I do understand what he means by disinterested. My question is how do we understand that definition & do as Blessed Pope Piux IX says,

Blessed Pope Piux IX wrote…
Let them fly with utter confidence to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears. Under her guidance, under her patronage, under her kindness and protection, nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Justin_Mary,

It seems to me there is no contradiction between the two statements of St. Louis de Montfort and Blessed Pope Pius IX.

The description given by St. Louis de Montfort, of being “disinterested” includes also and is practically the same as having the “utter confidence” Blessed Pope Pius IX wrote about in his encyclical. It is only a “disinterested” person who can “fear nothing” and believe “nothing is hopeless”. The “disinterested” person seeks nothing for “self” but is totally given to living God’s Will as Jesus and Mary did on this earth.

There is in the “disinterested” persons an “emptying” of self (cf Phil. 2:7) that allows them to fly with utter confidence to Mary and through her to have perfect confidence in God. Both St. Louis and Blessed Pope Pius IX point to our seeking God alone in His Blessed Mother and not ourselves. Hope that helps.

 

[patricius79]

How does one fly to Mary for recourse in all things, yet remain disinterested.

That’s a good question.

One remains disinterested by seeking one’s joy only in whatever pleases the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who seeks only God’s Will.

To the extent that one’s love for Mary is disinterested, one embraces the Cross out of love for her and her Divine Son.

Here is a great passage from St. John Eudes which expresses the paradox:

All those who comfort other men for the sake of charity, and, above all, who work for the
salvation of their neighbor, should be inebriated with the wine of divine love! To such as these our
charitable Mother, ever burning with zeal for the salvation of souls, cries in a loud voice:
"Come, children, come beloved of my Heart, come, draw from the fountain of your Mother’s Heart the
heavenly wine of divine love; drink long and deep; filled with the rapture of the spirit, you need fear
no excess. ‘Drink, and be inebriated, my dearly beloved.’ (22) Drink of this pure wine, father of
virginity and of all holy virgins. ‘Wine springing forth virgins.’ (23) nis heavenly wine fills the
Seraphim with delight; it inebriated the Apostles of my Divine Son; it filled the Redeemer Himself
with holy rapture when, in the excessof His love for you, He renounced the grandeurs of His divinity
and humbled Himself in the lowly crib and on the ignominious Cross. Drink with Him of this delicious
wine, that you may forget and despise what the world loves and esteems, that you may love and value
God alone, and exert yourself with all your might to establish the reign of His love and His glory in
the souls of men. Thus will you become the beloved children of His Heart and of my own.
Full text of "The Admirable Heart Of Mary by St John Eudes"

 

[Justin_Mary]

Here is a great passage from St. John Eudes which expresses the paradox:

Thank you patricius79. I can see the disinterest there, the detachment.

So if I pray that Mary helps me in my own affairs, like St Pope Pius IX says, it is false devotion.

Let them fly with utter confidence to this most sweet Mother of mercy and grace in all dangers, difficulties, needs, doubts and fears. Under her guidance, under her patronage, under her kindness and protection, nothing is to be feared; nothing is hopeless

But if I’m praying she helps my neighbor in the same situation it is true devotion.

I believe she is my mother. I believe she protects me. Does true devotion rest in that trust that I don’t ask for assistance on my behalf, but trust in her at all times for all things? That I don’t say, “Mother I know your eyes are on me, but I find myself in danger & I need your help.”

But trust she is working for my benefit regardless?

If so, how do I guard against presumption?

 

[0Scarlett_nidiyilii]

How does one fly to Mary for recourse in all things, yet remain disinterested.

LOL it’s an every day struggle.

Our family was graced with an unlikely healing a couple years back. We didnt deserve it any more than the next guy, but we got it (humble thanks!)
Now we’re in need of another unlikely healing.

I’m learning to pray for this intention every day (Jesus told us to be persistent) while trying to avoid becoming frantic over it.
It’s not an easy balance.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Justin_Mary,

…I believe she is my mother. I believe she protects me. Does true devotion rest in that trust that I don’t ask for assistance on my behalf, but trust in her at all times for all things? That I don’t say, “Mother I know your eyes are on me, but I find myself in danger & I need your help.”

But trust she is working for my benefit regardless?

If so, how do I guard against presumption?

Your words reminded me of something a holy priest once told me, when I sought some spiritual direction from him: I had a question on something I didn’t understand in Scripture, and he told me not to spend time on the question, but rather keep listening to God’s Word. Similarly, when we are reading something form St. Louis De Montfort’s “True Devotion” or from any saint or from an encyclical, it is important to read any part within the context of the whole. Just as in reading Scripture , we listen to God speaking and we ponder as Mary pondered all in our heart.

The “presumptuous devotee” is as St. Louis de Montfort explained a “false devotion” so once you recognize what it is, then spend time on the 5 marks of “true” devotion: interior, trustful, holy, constant and disinterested, and prayerfully ponder how those that are “true” work together to enable us to avoid the “false” – always by the Grace of God. We can do nothing without Him. With Him, however we can do all He Wills for us; we are called to be Holy as He is Holy! Trusting Mary is in fact to trust In Jesus. She never keep anything for herself but continually takes us to Jesus.

 

[patricius79]

The description given by St. Louis de Montfort, of being “disinterested” includes also and is practically the same as having the “utter confidence” Blessed Pope Pius IX wrote about in his encyclical. It is only a “disinterested” person who can “fear nothing” and believe “nothing is hopeless”. The “disinterested” person seeks nothing for “self” but is totally given to living God’s Will as Jesus and Mary did on this earth.

That is really a good point. If we are only seeking some created good, then our confidence in Mary would be less. But to the extent we are seeking God with and through Mary’s Immaculate Heart, we will have full confidence. Of course it’s not wrong to seek created goods which are willed for us by God.