Oct. 15 - Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila and "True Devotion"

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

How very important in these difficult days, for us to keep Listening to God in Holy Scripture and also to the wisdom He gives us through the writings of His Saints. Hopefully, many of you have been blessed by the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, and the writings of St. Louis de Montfort — as I surely, by God’s Grace, have been reading and being blessed by them for many years.

Today, as promised yesterday, we’ll continue in True Devotion, Chapter 2, paragraph #67 in which St. Louis prays to Jesus and joins his prayer to the Prayer of St. Augustine:

1. So that I may obtain from Your mercy a genuine devotion to Your blessed Mother and spread it throughout the whole world, help me to love You wholeheartedly, and for this intention accept the earnest prayer I offer with St. Augustine and all who truly love You.

Prayer of Saint Augustine

O Jesus Christ, You are my Father, my merciful God, my great King, my good Shepherd, my only Master, my best helper, my beloved friend of overwhelming beauty, my living Bread, my eternal priest. You are my guide to my heavenly home, my one true light, my holy joy, my true way, my shining wisdom, my unfeigned simplicity, the peace and harmony of my soul, my perfect safeguard, my bounteous inheritance, my everlasting salvation.

My loving Lord, Jesus Christ, why have I ever loved or desired anything else in my life but You, my God? Where was I when I was not in communion with You? From now on, I direct all my desires to be inspired by You and centered on You. I direct them to press forward for they have tarried long enough, to hasten towards their goal, to seek the One they yearn for.

O Jesus, let him who does not love You be accursed, and filled with bitterness. O gentle Jesus, let every worthy feeling of mine show You love, take delight in You and admire you. O God of my heart and my inheritance, Christ Jesus, may my heart mellow before the influence of Your spirit and may ou live in me. May the flame of Your love burn in my soul. May it burn incessantly on the altar of my heart. May it glow in my innermost being. May it spread its heat into the hidden recesses of my soul and on the day of my consummation may I appear before you consumed in your love. Amen.

Come Holy Spirit, fill us with Jesus, as You filled Mary. Jesus, we trust in You! Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Greenfields, aroosi, and GioG12,

Thanks so much for your “hearts”. It seems that Mary is so neglected – especially by Catholics – in these days – and yet, St. Louis de Montfort “lovingly complained” to Jesus in his own days in France in the 1700’s that there were many who did not have that “True Devotion” to Mary that God had revealed to St. Louis to share with the Church.

Thanks for your faithful love of Jesus through Mary. How we need to learn by God’s Grace how much God loves us and came to us through Mary. By HIs Grace, we need to love Jesus and Mary more and make reparation for our sins and the sins of the world. Jesus, we trust in You! Mary, Mother of the Church, Mother of Mercy, pray for us.