May 11 - “Whoever loves me will keep my word..."

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Easter Season is soon coming to a close. The Gospel for today’s Mass and the Alleluia Verse are preparing us for the great Feast of Pentecost coming May 31.

The Gospel is such “Good News”, as we hear Jesus speaking to His Disciples (and to us) in John’s Gospel, continuing in Chapter 14 from yesterday. How Good God is! He loved us so much He sent His Only Begotten Son to save us from eternal death and to be our Way, our Truth and our Life — our eternal life! But will we truly Listen to all Jesus said and did that we may walk in His Way, and do His Truth as we hear Him?

God knows our weakness and so Jesus gave us a perfect example in Mary who never sinned but listened to all Jesus said and did, pondering all in her heart. Jesus’ words from His Cross to John and to us: “Behold your Mother”. In today’s Alleluia Verse and Gospel Jesus also speaks of The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, Who will come to us, His Church. By God’s Grace, may we listen with Mary, pondering all in our hearts, as we hear today’s Mass Readings:

Alleluia Verse:
The Holy Spirit will teach you everything
and remind you of all I told you.

Today’s Gospel:

Jesus said to His disciples:
“Whoever has my commandments and observes them
is the one who loves Me.
Whoever loves Me will be loved by My Father,
and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”
Judas, not the Iscariot, said to Him,
“Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us
and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Whoever loves Me will keep My word,
and My Father will love him,
and We will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words;
yet the word you hear is not Mine
but that of the Father who sent Me.

“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit
whom the Father will send in My name
He will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.” (Jn 14:21-26)

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful; kindle in us, the Fire of Your Love. Jesus we trust in You! Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear QuietTrad,

Thanks so much for your reply. It is always a blessing to hear anyone say they made their “Marian Consecration” or “consecrated themselves to Jesus through Mary.” St. Louis de Montfort wrote in the very beginning of his treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin:

1. If then we are establishing sound devotion to our Blessed Lady, it is only in order to establish devotion to our Lord more perfectly, by providing a smooth but certain way of reaching Jesus Christ. If devotion to our Lady distracted us from our Lord, we would have to reject it as an illusion of the devil. But this is far from being the case. As I have already shown and will show again later on, this devotion is necessary, simply and solely because it is a way of reaching Jesus perfectly, loving him tenderly, and serving him faithfully.

There are some who are actually offfended or even somewhat scandalized when a person says that they have consecrated themselves to Mary. St. Louis de Montfort apparently met persons who objected to leaving Jesus’ name aside when describing their Marian Devotion and so he wrote to clarify why no one needs to be offended in paragraphs 63 through 76 and finally in paragraph 77 he wrote:

1. But where is my pen leading me? Why am I wasting my time proving something so obvious? If people are unwilling to call themselves slaves of Mary, what does it matter? Let them become and call themselves slaves of Jesus Christ, for this is the same as being slaves of Mary, since Jesus is the fruit and glory of Mary. This is what we do perfectly in the devotion we shall discuss later.

I prayed my “Act of Consecration” written by St. Louis de Montfort on June 10 and will renew it soon, but I also renew it on different Feasts of Mary and Also Feast of Jesus. My favorite Feast-Day in the Feast of the Annunciation and I think the Visitation is a close second. The Pope’s choice of celebrating a Feast in honor of her title: “Mother of the Church” every year on the Monday following the Feast of Pentecost is especially beautiful, since the Church is in such need of Mary’s Intercession at this time.

Hopefully, many more will consider reading St. Louis de Montfort’s little treatise on “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin” and pray their Act of Consecration.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Inbonum, Stephie, and QuietTrad,

Thank you all for your “hearts” which encourage us who love our Mother Mary and seek to give all to Jesus through Mary. Reading St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion” continues to be a grace-filled experience for me and many others I know. Each time I read any part of his little book , I am more grateful to God for inspiring him to write it for the Church - not only in his own time but for so many of God’s children in the centuries which followed after.

May we continue to ask God’s Grace to learn more each day from the Wisdom He gave St. Louis. By God’s Grace and Mary’s intercession we may LIVE the Truth Jesus teaches us by the power of His Holy Spirit.

“O Jesus, living in Mary, come and live in Your servants, in the spirit of Your holiness, in the fullness of Your power, in the perfection of Your ways, in the truth of Your virtues, in the communion of Your mysteries. Rule over every adverse power, in your Spirit, for the glory of the Father. Amen.” – Prayer of Fr. Olier, S.S. (1608-1657)