Oct. 24 - "...It is difficult to keep the graces received from God."

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MariaChristi

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We continue to listen to St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion”
Fifth principle: It is difficult to keep the graces received from God
  1. It is very difficult, considering our weakness and frailty, to keep the graces and treasures we have received from God.
1. We carry this treasure, which is worth more than heaven and earth, in fragile vessels, that is, in a corruptible body and in a weak and wavering soul which requires very little to depress and disturb it.
  1. 2. The evil spirits, cunning thieves that they are, can take us by surprise and rob us of all we possess. They are watching day and night for the right moment. They roam incessantly seeking to devour us and to snatch from us in one brief moment of sin all the grace and merit we have taken years to acquire. Their malice and their experience, their cunning and their numbers ought to make us ever fearful of such a misfortune happening to us. People, richer in grace and virtue, more experienced and advanced in holiness than we are, have been caught off their guard and robbed and stripped of everything. How many cedars of Lebanon, how many stars of the firmament have we sadly watched fall and lose in a short time their loftiness and their brightness!
What has brought about this unexpected reverse? Not the lack of grace, for this is denied no one. It was a lack of humility; they considered themselves stronger and more self-sufficient than they really were. They thought themselves well able to hold on to their treasures. They believed their house secure enough and their coffers strong enough to safeguard their precious treasure of grace. It was because of their unconscious reliance on self - although it seemed to them that they were relying solely on the grace of God - that the most just Lord left them to themselves and allowed them to be despoiled. If they had only known of the wonderful devotion that I shall later explain, they would have entrusted their treasure to Mary, the powerful and faithful Virgin. She would have kept it for them as if it were her own possession and even have considered that trust an obligation of justice.
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Our Father, Who art in heaven…deliver us from evil!
Come Holy Spirit, bring us into all Truth as Jesus promised. ( Jn 16:13) Jesus, we trust in You! Holy Mary Mother of God and Model for the Church, pray for us!
 
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I’m amazed there was so little response to these paragraphs from “True Devotion”! Do people today think they are so holy as not to need God or the intercession of His Mother? Maybe they do – but, personally I agree with God speaking through St. Louis de Montfort in reminding us that we carry the treasure of grace in “fragile vessels” due to the consequences of Original sin!!!

Perhaps we have spent too little time listening to God 's Holy Spirit in His Word and spent far too much time listening to the opinions of those who have only the words of the world or worse are listening to the crafty words, the lies which the evil one
Makes “sound good” but are seeking souls to devour.

Come Holy Spirit! Jesus we trust in You! Mary, Mother of the Church intercede for us!
 
Dear Billy,

Thanks so much for your “heart!” and your willingness to LISTEN to God’s Wisdom coming to us through His Saints. I see you are new to Catholic Answers Form having joined only 4 days ago. Welcome! I hope you will continue to follow these threads on St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion”. If you click on the title it will take you to the online version of St. Louis’ small book. I’m posting a few paragraphs at a time, so if you haven’t read the book you can go back to the beginning and read to catch up to where we are or simply follow each day prayerfully and slowly pondering and learning from God the Truth He has given this Saint.

I’ve read this little book many times and each tim I am blessed in learning more. May you continue to be blessed in learning from God all His Spirit “whispers” into your heart. He speaks to us in many ways but definitley through Scripture as our primary source. St. Louis and all the Saints learned from God. One of the reasons I read St. Louis is that he is steeped in Scripture and learned to love Mary from Jesus Who told us from His Cross:

Behold your Mother

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Can you please answer a couple of questions - What is the devotion?
How do you entrust it (the gift of grace) to Mary?
I thought the gift of grace is your relationship with Jesus and - could you please explain like I’m five.

Thank you 🙏
 
Dear Bix,

Thanks for your questions. In my experience with little children, I’m always blessed by their questions. 🙂

Since your profile is hidden I do not know if you are a Baptized Catholic or perhaps a Baptized Christian or perhaps still searching for the fullness of Truth Jesus promised His disciples in Jn !6:13… I mention this because Mary is a mystery to many who did not grow up as I did – a Catholic child baptized about a week after birth or as soon as my God parents could get me to Church. Mothers in those days were still at home while Baptism took place. I went to Catholic schools: Grade 1 through college, then earned a Graduate degree from an Augustinian University. I’ll try to answere your 3 questions.

Question 1 - " What is the devotion?" The word itself is close to “faithfulness” - it is born of “love” for another person or goal or whatever you like. In the case of St. Louis de Montfort’s little book on “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin” it is (as I understand it to be after reading it many times) this saint’s writing on how we can be faithful to our Baptismal promises and find in Mary a “shorter, easier, way to grow closer to Jesus” and in fact honor Him even more because we humbly seek to go to Him as He first came to us - that is - through Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. (5 yr olds can understand far more than most people think they can). I was only 15 when I consecrated myself totally to Jesus through Mary after learning from St. Louis De Montfort’s book on “True Devotion”.

Question 2: “How do you entrust it (the gift of grace) to Mary?” - just as you entrust anyone with anything - You give it to her.

Question 3: “I thought the gift of grace is your relationship with Jesus and --could you please explain like I’m five.” The best explanation is given by the saint in his little book: “True Devotion”, and I give the link in the title in almost every post I’ve writen so that people can read his book, prayerfully and by the Grace of God come to understand what God gave this saint to share with His Church and anyone else who is seeking the Truth of God. If you click on the link in the title it will take you to the online version of his book.

When you read, please pray for the Holy Spirit’s help that you may read slowly and with the Grace God gives. God’s Grace is pure gift and can enable us to begin a relationship with Him that can lead one to Baptism ( by Sacrament or of desire or Baptism of blood by martyrdom) but that is a longer discussion than perhaps a 5 yr old would need. 🙂 Hope you will click on the link and begin to read the book. Actual grace does move us toward God but the Sanctifying Grace we receive in Baptism begins our new Life in Christ, when we are “born again”.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful. Hope these poor words of mine help you, Bixx.
 
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Dear Bixx,

Thanks so much for your “heart”! How I thank Jesus through Mary for your asking your questions! Hopefully Jesus has touched your heart with His Truth, through Mary’s intercession and I encourage you to “hold tight” to her hand for she is your Mother and Mother of us all – given to us by Jesus from His Cross with His beautiful words:
Behold your Mother!
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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, your children!
 
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Thank you. I appreciate you sharing this information. I converted several years ago.
My relationship with Mary has started growing lately and I have bookmarked many of your posts to read more thoroughly when I have some quiet time and feel at peace. Thank you.
 
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