"The most perfect...of all devotions to the Blessed Virgin consists in..."

[patricius79]

Thanks Deborah Mary,

I definitely agree that irreverence is a very serious problem in the Church. And I can see how “familiarity” can have bad connotations–perhaps more than the other words in question–though “fear of the Lord”, “intimacy”, and perhaps even “reverence” can have bad connotations for many people.

All words can be misinterpreted so we need discernment, as you say. I have misinterpreted words you have said, and words that St. Louis has said, based on my own personality, history, and brokenness. For example, St. Louis says that we must “do violence to ourselves to avoid sin”. This could easily confused someone who already has OCD regarding sin.

I don’t want people to have a distorted idea of “reverence” where they have any servile fear of God. As you quote Scripture, “there is no fear in love”, as you say. St. Louis wrote about how Mary takes such fear away in souls who give themselve entirely over to her.

St. Therese saw a painting of two children with Jesus and said that one of them pleased her less than the other. She said of this child: “…he’s acting like an adult. He’s been told something, and knows he must respect Jesus”.

She must have been talking about servile fear as you say.

St. Faustina, also, said this in her Diary, talking about “familiarity” with God and the limitations of human language:

Love has overtaken my whole heart, and even if I were to be told of God’s justice and of how even the pure spirits tremble and cover their faces before Him, saying endlessly, “Holy,” which would seem to suggest that my familiarity with God would be to the detriment of His honor and majesty, [I would reply,] “O no, no, and once again, no!” In pure love, there is room for everything: the highest praise and the deepest adoration, yet the soul is immersed in Him in deepest peace through love; and the words of people, speaking from the exterior, have no effect upon that soul. What they tell the soul about God is but a pale shadow in comparison to its own experience of Him; and it is often surprised how other people can be struck with admiration at what someone else says about God when, for this soul, it is nothing special, as it knows that what can be put into words is not yet that great. So this soul listens to everything with respect, but has its own special life in God.
https://diaryofstfaustina.wordpress.com/2017/06/20/diary-of-sr-faustina-2nd-notebook-par-941-950/

 

[patricius79]

Just another thought. For me, personally, it’s more important to focus on trust in the Lord’s Goodness and Mercy than it is to focus on reverence, since my temptation–being an anxious person-- is more toward lack of trust than irreverence. And I know how much lack of trust hurts the Lord.

But this is me. Other people may struggle more with irreverence.

Speaking in general, I don’t know whether irreverence or lack of trust hurts the Lord more. Obviously both are wrong, and gravely wrong if deliberate. But I tend to think it’s lack of trust that hurts Him more.

St. Therese said that the thing that offends Jesus, that wounds him to the core, is want of confidence.

And St. Faustina has the Lord saying that a man’s lack of trust in the forgiveness He’d already been given for everything, hurt Him more than all of his previous sins.

Since I consecrated myself to Jesus according to the teachings of St. Louis, Mary has helped me to grow in trust.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear patricius,

The Saints are great helps to us, but we need to keep reminding ourselves: each soul is unique in God’s creation. Mary is the Highest and Above every other Saint in God’s design. Each of the Saints, however, has a unique beauty and God willing, one day in heaven, we will know ourselves as we are known by Him. Perhaps that is why St. Faustina wrote: “Love has overtaken my whole heart.” God was givng her a “taste of heaven”. Saints encourage us to keep listening for God’s Voice.

In Truth we are told to “seek the things above!”:

If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with Him in glory. (Col 3: 1-4)

St. Therese and St. Faustina whom you mentioned, kept their focus on Christ, and Mary helped them to do that — all Graces come through the hands of Mary. St. John Who stood with Mary on Calvary wrote:

See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope based on Him makes himself pure, as He is pure. (1 John 3: 1-3)

St. Faustina experienced that “pure love” from which she could write: “…people speaking from the exterior have no effect” …“what they tell the soul about God is but a pale shadow”… St. Faustina knew by her own experience what her life in God was. So it is with us, who take Mary for our Mother and Model. We listen to God tell us in His Word : “Behold Your Mother” and we learn to listen as Mary did and to ponder all He said and did , as Mary pondered - and now reigns with Him in heaven.

St. Therese on the other hand had no visions but had her own “special life in God” which God has given her to share with us. As Therese said: “Everything is Grace”. By God’s Grace, through Mary, let us continually ask to receive all from God; continually seek to find Him and continually knock on the door that He may open for us.( cf Mt. 7: 7)