Opening the book

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today I opened my “computer version” of the book, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, after first pondering today’s Mass readings.

I don’t remember when I began the habit of reading and pondering the Mass readings as the first thing on my computer each day, but I’m grateful for God’s Grace in prompting me to make it a consistent daily practice. Often it gives me light to share on any subject I enter on the Forum or in later e-mails. This morning I was blessed particularly by these verses in the First Reading from 1 John: 2:12 -17:

…Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever.

It reminded me of the preliminary period of 12 days in St. Louis De Montfort’s 33 Day Preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, in which he encourages us to “rid ourselves of the spirit of the world”. The Gospel reading from Luke 2: 36 - 40 ends with:

…The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him.

We are born again in Baptism, given a share in God’s Divine Life, and God intends us to live as Jesus lived. Jesus gave Mary to us from His Cross to be our Mother. St. Louis de Montfort was given unique graces for the Church in writing his treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin that we might learn to live in Christ, becoming strong and wise and helping others as God intended. I’m happy to be opening this book again, continuing to pray God opens the ears of my heart to hear the Truth He gives and to do the Truth heard:

INTRODUCTION OF SAINT LOUIS MARIE

1. It was through the Blessed Virgin Mary that Jesus came into the world, and it is also through her that he must reign in the world.
2. Because Mary remained hidden during her life she is called by the Holy Spirit and the Church “Alma Mater”, Mother hidden and unknown. So great was her humility that she desired nothing more upon earth than to remain unknown to herself and to others, and to be known only to God.
3. In answer to her prayers to remain hidden, poor and lowly, God was pleased to conceal her from nearly every other human creature in her conception, her birth, her life, her mysteries, her resurrection and assumption. Her own parents did not really know her; and the angels would often ask one another, “Who can she possibly be?”, for God had hidden her from them, or if he did reveal anything to them, it was nothing compared with what he withheld.
   I’d be grateful for any comments on my post from yesterday (title: “Lord open the ears of my heart”) as well as today’s. God willing, I hope to continue the book tomorrow.

 

[ChunkMonk]

Good luck and God bless!

I’m glad Mary is no longer hidden from us!

 

[Greenfields]

Thank you Maria Christi I’ve just borrowed my mother’s book of True devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and will look into it tomorrow .God bless.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear ChunkMonk,

Thanks so much for your reply. Yes, God is so Good, He did not withold everything about our Mother. The Gospels give us much to ponder and He continues to enlighten the saints to “see” her by faith and “hear” more through His Word. St. Louis de Montfort says more in paragraph 18 of “True Devotion” in writing about Mary’s part in the Incarnation:

…The Holy Spirit could not leave such wonderful and inconceivable dependence of God unmentioned in the Gospel, though he concealed almost all the wonderful things that Wisdom Incarnate did during his hidden life in order to bring home to us its infinite value and glory. Jesus gave more glory to God his Father by submitting to his Mother for thirty years than he would have given him had he converted the whole world by working the greatest miracles. How highly then do we glorify God when to please him we submit ourselves to Mary, taking Jesus as our sole model.

In some ways, however, Mary does remain “hidden” in our own day, and not by God’s design. Some are reluctant to speak of her, and some do not want to speak of her out of some misguided fear of offending God or others by honoring her in any way. This is sad to me. I hope you will find time to read more from the online version of this book, see HERE

St. Louis de Montfort, nor St. John Paul II, nor St. Maximilian Kolbe nor any of the saints gave in to that kind of fear! St. Bernard in fact wrote “De Maria nunc satis” – “of Mary, there is never enough!”

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Greenfields,

Thanks so much for your reply, and please thank your mother (for me, too) for having a copy of “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin” by St. Louis de Montfort, and letting you borrow it.

Hopefully, you will in time buy your own copy, Paperback copies are not too expensive see HERE

One reading of this book is never enough if you are serious about it. There is so much to ponder prayerfully. Each time I read it by God’s grace, I am grateful for what He gives me. Please share whenever you can, if the Holy Spirit leads you to share, either on the Forum here or in conversations with others. I firmly believe God gives us graces not only for ourselves but to help in the building up of the Body of Christ. (cf Eph 4: 15 - 16)