Question on the Blessed Mother

[Monica4316]

Something I wrote in another forum, but it can be applicable here

I thought I’d share some thoughts that helped me
I used to feel really uncomfortable with Mary.

the first time I ever prayed the Rosary, I was really nervous, and even asked God to forgive me if it offends Him. But then I felt this incredible peace, and I got this image in my mind of both Jesus and Mary standing side by side and listening to the Rosary. It helped me realize that they are together…not in competition.

what Mary does, is she takes us by the hand and leads us to her Son.

I once had this thought…imagine you’re like Peter and trying to walk on water. There’s a storm and you’re afraid. Jesus is on the other side and you don’t know how you’ll reach Him. Then you call upon Mary, and she takes your hand and walks with you to Jesus. And with her, it doesn’t matter if there’s a storm…you’re no longer afraid. and you get to Him safely. That’s just an analogy.

I know with all that people say about us worshipping Mary, etc, or maybe if you’re a convert, like me, - it’s natural that we’d feel a bit afraid of devotion to her… especially if this devotion seems extreme. I used to read some of those prayers and think “they love her too much!” What I didn’t understand is that when people love someone, they tend to praise them with whatever words they can find. So we get prayers like “my life, my sweetness, and my hope”. But these are not just words either… without Mary, we would not have a Savior. God didnt NEED to use her, but He chose to, and she chose to say ‘yes’.

I think we need to be like little children with Mary. She is our Mother
this means being trusting, telling her everything…and this would never offend God, because she is His Mother too. When Jesus was a baby, Mary held Him in her arms and took care of Him… if we let Mary do this for us, we are imitating Christ. There’s absolutely no competition between them…Mary only ever does His will. If you come to church and pray at a Mary altar, Jesus won’t be insulted that you chose her altar and not His. When we say “Mary”, she says “Jesus”. (St Louis de Montfort)

Here’s what I learned… we’ll only understand Mary once we begin to truly love her. For this, we need to trust her and develop a relationship with her. God understands that it might be difficult if we’re afraid of idolatry. But it’s not idolatry because Mary never allows us to love her more than Jesus, even if we love her with all our hearts. She leads us to Him.

When I first began agreeing with this book [True Devotion], for the first time in my life I began feeling love for Mary and her presence in my life. I was a little nervous if perhaps, it’s not a bit excessive. (now I think this is funny cause I only love her around 1% of how the Saints did ) but all that happened is she helped me overcome a major area of sin in my life and gave me graces. All graces come through her hands. God has made it so.

if you’re worried of loving Mary “too much”…

the more you love her, the more your love for Jesus grows. So you’ll always love Him more than Mary, and in fact you’ll love Him more and more. That’s how she works in our souls. If you find yourself feeling really strong devotion and love for her, don’t be afraid, just remember Christ is still the center… and she will expand your heart more so your devotion to Him will be even greater.

If you love Mary with all your heart, that means that you love Jesus even more than is naturally possible and you love Him with Mary’s love.

the way this can go wrong is if you separate Jesus and Mary and start loving Mary for her own sake. If you start worshipping her and forget her role as Mother, she’ll no longer work in your soul, and you’ll love her more than God and commit idolatry. St Louis de Montfort says - if devotion to Mary leads you away from Christ, it’s from the enemy. Maybe this sounds scary and you’re wondering - how do we avoid this?? I think the answer is…just remember Jesus and Mary are together. Talk to both of them. To Jesus through Mary. If youre just talking to Mary, remember Jesus is with her. Keep their relationship in mind… meditate on the Mysteries of the Rosary… think of the Nativity, the Incarnation, Mary being at the Cross, Mary being assumed into Heaven to be with her Son

 

[Monica4316]

St Gemma Galgani and Our Lady

“Whoever could have imagined,” thus she wrote "that this evening my dear Mother would have come to see me? It was not even to be thought of because I believed that my bad conduct would prevent it. Yet she had compassion on me. Her presence quickly put me in a state of recollection, and then, as often happens, I lost my senses, and I found myself, I think, with Our Lady of Sorrows. Oh, what happiness! What sweetness of heart I felt during those wonderful moments! Let whoever can, explain it. It seemed to me, after some moments of emotion, that she took me in her lap and made me rest my head on her shoulder and keep it there for a short time. My heart during that time felt perfectly happy and contented without any other desire. “Do you love only me?” she asked me now and then. “Oh, no!” I answered her, “before You I love someone else.” “And who is it?” She said, pretending not to know. “It is one so dear to me! More dear than all else. I love Him so much that I would now, this moment, give my life for Him; for His sake I regard not my life.” “But tell me, who is it?” she asked me “If You, Mother, had come the evening before last, You would have seen Him with me. I instead go to Him every day [she meant in Holy Communion], and I would go more often if I could. But do You know Mother,” I continued, “why I do so? Because I know that He wishes to see, by His keeping so far away from me, if I am capable of ceasing to love Him. But quite the contrary, the farther He keeps away, the more I feel drawn to Him! And she repeated: “Tell me, who is He?” “No,” I replied, “I won’t tell thee. If only You have seen Him, Mother! He is like Thee in beauty; His hair is the color of Yours.” Mother, then embracing me, seemed to say again: “But my child, tell me of whom are you speaking.” I then exclaimed aloud, “Do You not understand me? Of Jesus, I speak of Jesus.” “Repeat it still louder,” she said. Then, smiling, she looked at me and pressed me closely to herself, saying, “Yes, love Him, but love Him greatly; Listen well! Love Him alone!” “Don’t be afraid,” I said to her, “no one in the world shall taste my affections! Jesus alone.” Again she pressed me to her; she seemed to kiss me on the forehead. Then I awoke [meaning that she came out of the ecstasy], and I found myself stretched on the floor with the crucifix near me.”