Sept.22 - "True Devotion" - Chap. 1 - paragraphs 17, 18, and 19

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Continuing Chapter 1 on the “Necessity of Devotion to Our Lady”, let us Listen to St. Louis de Montfort’s words in True Devotion:

1. God the Father imparted to Mary His fruitfulness as far as a mere creature was capable of receiving it, to enable her to bring forth His Son and all the members of His Mystical Body.
2. God the Son came into her virginal womb as a new Adam into His earthly paradise, to take His delight there and produce hidden wonders of grace.

God-made-man found freedom in imprisoning Himself in her womb. He displayed power in allowing Himself to be borne by this young maiden. He found His glory and that of his Father in hiding His splendours from all creatures here below and revealing them only to Mary. He glorified His independence and His majesty in depending upon this lovable virgin in His conception, His birth, His presentation in the temple, and in the thirty years of His hidden life. Even at His death she had to be present so that He might be united with her in one sacrifice and be immolated with her consent to the eternal Father, just as formerly Isaac was offered in sacrifice by Abraham when he accepted the will of God. It was Mary who nursed him, fed him, cared for him, reared him, and sacrificed him for us.

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.

1. If we examine closely the remainder of the life of Jesus Christ, we see that he chose to begin his miracles through Mary. It was by her word that he sanctified Saint John the Baptist in the womb of his mother, Saint Elizabeth; no sooner had Mary spoken than John was sanctified. This was his first and greatest miracle of grace. At the wedding in Cana He changed water into wine at her humble prayer, and this was His first miracle in the order of nature. He began and continued His miracles through Mary and He will continue them through her until the end of time.

Come Holy Spirit, sent by the Father and the Son to us, that we may learn from You, through Mary, how to follow Jesus as Mary and all the saints have done. Bring us, as Jesus promised, into all Truth. (cf Jn 16:13)

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Greenfields,

Thanks so much for your dear “heart” which is always a joy to see – for it indicates your Love for Jesus through Mary! How we need more Catholics to be so devoted to those Two Hearts pierced for Love of us!

Hopefully you and others are being blessed by the words of St. Louis de Montfort’s little book. Each time I read “True Devotion”, I am blessed. Like the Holy Scripture we can read some sentences and not really understand until God gives us His Grace and opens our minds and “the ears of our hearts” hear the Truth He speaks to us, and even more importantly to do the Truth we hear.

Today’s Gospel is so beautiful to hear Jesus speak in praise of Mary and all her children:

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him
but were unable to join him because of the crowd.
He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside
and they wish to see you.”
He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” (Lk 8:19-21)

Totus tuus!