"...seven kinds of false devotion to Mary..." (Sept. 14 - Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross)

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MariaChristi

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Continuing to read prayerfully and to ponder, St. Louis de Montfort’s treatise on "True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin":
  1. There are, I find, seven kinds of false devotion to Mary, namely, the devotion of (1) the critical, (2) the scrupulous, (3) the superficial, (4) the presumptuous, (5) the inconstant, (6) the hypocritical, (7) the self-interested.
Critical devotees
  1. Critical devotees are for the most part proud scholars, people of independent and self-satisfied minds, who deep down in their hearts have a vague sort of devotion to Mary. However, they criticise nearly all those forms of devotion to her which simple and pious people use to honour their good Mother just because such practices do not appeal to them. They question all miracles and stories which testify to the mercy and power of the Blessed Virgin, even those recorded by trustworthy authors or taken from the chronicles of religious orders. They cannot bear to see simple and humble people on their knees before an altar or statue of our Lady, or at prayer before some outdoor shrine. They even accuse them of idolatry as if they were adoring the wood or the stone. They say that as far as they are concerned they do not care for such outward display of devotion and that they are not so gullible as to believe all the fairy tales and stories told of our Blessed Lady. When you tell them how admirably the Fathers of the Church praised our Lady, they reply that the Fathers were exaggerating as orators do, or that their words are misrepresented. These false devotees, these proud worldly people are greatly to be feared. They do untold harm to devotion to our Lady. While pretending to correct abuses, they succeed only too well in turning people away from this devotion.
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St. Louis was a priest in the 1700’s and while he was writing for the people of his own time, primarily, I believe God gave him words for the Church Universal and for all times. I’ve said this before but these are times when we need to hear what St. Louis de Montfort preached and wrote about Mary. I’ve quoted Pope St. John Paul II many times also because he saw the crisis of Faith growing, saying in 1982:
…Where the Mother is, there too is the Son. When one moves away from the Mother, sooner or later he ends up keeping distant from the Son as well. It is no wonder that today, in various sectors of secularized society, we note a widespread crisis of faith in God, preceded by a drop in devotion to the Virgin Mother… - Address to the Legion of Mary, October 1982
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Come Holy Spirit, enlighten our minds to know Your Truth, strengthen our wills to do Your Truth as Mary did. Fill our hearts with the Fire of Your Love as you filled Mary! On today’s Feast of the Holy Cross, may we stand with her keeping our eyes on Jesus.
 
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Thanks patricius, for your “faithful heart” for you have consistenly been following the threads I’ve posted on St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”. You have also replied often with the writings of Saints and Papal Encyclicals and Writings from Fathers and Doctors of the Church, who strengthen with their words also the Church’s centuries old devotion to Mary. Thank you for your encouragement to me and to those who have either not heard of God’s unique choice of Mary and the unique relationship she has with Jesus and with us or have forgotten. Please let us continue to pray for one another, for the Church, and for all those in most need of God’s Mercy.
 
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Thanks, MariaChristi. Pope Leo XII seems to be addressing those critical of intense Marian devotion in His Encyclical “Octobri Mense”:
Thus do those whose actions have disturbed their consciences need an intercessor mighty in favour with God, merciful enough not to reject the cause of the desperate, merciful enough to lift up again towards hope in the divine mercy the afflicted and the broken down. Mary is this glorious intermediary; she is the mighty Mother of the Almighty; but-what is still sweeter - she is gentle, extreme in tenderness, of a limitless loving-kindness…
  1. The design of this most dear mercy, realised by God in Mary and confirmed by the testament of Christ, was comprehended at the beginning… No other reason is needed that that of a Divine faith which, by a powerful and most pleasant impulse, persuades us towards Mary… All men, moreover, are filled with the hope and confidence that petitions which might be received with less favour from the lips of unworthy men, God will accept when they are recommended by the most Holy Mother, and will grant with all favours. The truth and the sweetness of these thoughts bring to the soul an unspeakable comfort; but they inspire all the more compassion for those who, being without Divine faith, honour not Mary and have her not for their mother; for those also who, holding Christian faith, dare to accuse of excess the devotion to Mary, thereby sorely wounding filial piety.
    Octobri Mense (September 22, 1891) | LEO XIII
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Dear patricius,

How faithfully Pope Leo followed the example of all those holy disciples, Bishops, Popes, holy lay men and women who Knew and loved Mary with the Supernatural Faith, Hope and Love given to them at Baptism. How sad for those who choose not to “Behold our Mother” and know her love for them!
 
I venerate Mary b/c she is the ONE who incarnate
or “put to flesh” the Godhead!! The incarnation is
astounding in it’s revelation that God would bind
us to Himself by becoming ONE OF US!!
More than that, He came as a baby, a wiggling,
needy, inarticulate bundle of helplessness!!
Praise God, and Blessed be Mary, the Mother
of this wonderful entity, we call the Triune God!!
Amen,
 
Dear GLam,

Thanks for your reply, Yes, the Incarnation of God’s Only Begotten Son, by the power of His Holy Spirit, in the womb of Mary is an infinite Mystery! God loved us so much He humbled Himself to be like us in all except sin, and came as a helpless Baby, dependent on the care of His Mother Mary.

How can we not love such a loving God, and His loving Mother? It is often due to the weaknesses we inherited from the Original sin – yet God’s Great gift of Baptism restores to us, the Friendship with Him that Adam and Eve lost through their sin, He cleanses us, and though we retain the weaknesses of intellect and will that are consequences from the Original Sin, His Grace is sufficient for us to grow in Holiness.

In fact, as Jesus was dying on the Cross, He knew our weaknesses well, and gave us Mary to be our Mother to care for us and to be our human model of one who knows, loves and serves God perfectly! 🙂 We are so blessed, and we need to be ever grateful!
 
MariaChristi said:
In fact, as Jesus was dying on the Cross, He knew our weaknesses well, and gave us Mary to be our Mother to care for us and to be our human model of one who knows, loves and serves God perfectly! 🙂
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That’s exactly right. Giving us His Own Mother was the perfect expression of His Compassion for us on the Cross.

Here is a beautiful “psalm” from St. Bonaventure, a Doctor of the Church:
Behold now, bless ye the Lady: all ye who hope in her holy name.
Rejoice with a great joy, you who exalt and glorify her: because you will be rejoiced by the
plentifulness of her consolations.
Behold now with an overflowing bounty she will come down upon you: to console and to
make glad your hearts.
Bless her, all her servants: and let her memory be the desire of your soul.
Bless her, all ye angels and saints of God: praise her wonders forever.
Glory be to the Father, etc.
https://d2wldr9tsuuj1b.cloudfront.n...re-The Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary.pdf
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Thanks again, patricius, for another quote from St. Bonaventure. How the Saints so closely followed Jesus: both “seeing in Faith” and “living in the Truth” of Jesus’ Love for His Mother and for us! They obeyed Jesus’ words to John on Calvary and to all of us from His Cross:
Behold your Mother!
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How truly St. Bonaventure’s words can ring in our hearts:
Bless her, all her servants: and let her memory be the desire of your soul!
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