True Devotion to Mary

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I’ve just started reading St. Louis De Montfort’s book, True Devotion to Mary. Coming from a protestant background, I feel a little uneasy with the language he uses to describe Mary and how we should treat her, however I’m trying to get accustomed to it. The reason I’m reading the book in the first place is because I believe in all the Church teaches, and I want to garner a strong devotion to her so as to grow closer to God. Something I am worried about, however, is growing too close to Mary, closer than I am with God. St. Louis De Montfort addresses this worry in his book, and says any true devotion to Mary, no matter how strong, will lead to an even greater closeness to Jesus Christ. Is this true? Is all of my worrying in vain? Or is there indeed a line that needs to be drawn? How would I know when I’ve crossed the line? And how do I garner a healthy devotion to the Blessed Virgin?
 
St. Louis De Montfort addresses this worry in his book, and says any true devotion to Mary, no matter how strong, will lead to an even greater closeness to Jesus Christ. Is this true?
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Absolutely. Remember, we go to Jesus through Mary.

Here is a link for the YouTube Channel “Apostolate for Family Consecration”

youtube.com/user/catholicfamilyland/videos

Scroll through the videos and look for the Titles:
  1. 40 Day Preparation for Total Consecration
  2. Secret of Mary
  3. Catechism on True Devotion
I am currently going through my Consecration for the first time and I had a lot of the same questions as you and these videos have helped me tremendously.
 
Milestone,

Over the years I have made several consecrations. (St. Louis de Montfort)

Absolutely yes that the Blessed Virgin brings us closer to Jesus!

Our Mother Mary has been blessed with many privileges …for our sake!

I do understand that as a Protestant you have not been exposed to this kind of thinking.

I remember a priest, long ago, describing our Mother Mary this way:

“She is like a clear pane of glass that the Holy Trinity shines through…no smudges (sinless).”

I am paraphrasing, I don’t remember the exact words.
She truly is our spiritual Mother, given to us as the foot of the cross. Her will and Jesus our Savior’s will is one.

She did have to ponder and grow in faith, hope, and love over the years.

Peace to you in Jesus and Mary,

Dorothy
 
Many people put the Mother of Jesus down as often as they can, thinking that by degrading her they are somehow building up Jesus. They say things like “Mary is dead and can’t help you”, “Mary was just an incubator for Jesus”, "Jesus put his mother down by calling her "Woman, and “If Mary had refused Gabriel, then God would have just picked someone else”. All of that kind of talk is crazy, but they do it because they think that Catholics worship Mary as a goddess, and by putting her down, they are showing Catholics that Jesus is #1. How many people would like it if you said - “I love you, but I really can’t stand your mother”. And how many people regularly put down their own mother to reinforce the fact that their Dad is #1? No one. Jesus called her “Woman” all of the time to let us all know that she is the new Eve (Adam named his mate “Woman”) who’s yes to Gabriel overcame Eve’s yes to lucifer.
Most of the time in the Bible, God chooses to do His work through a human, whether it’s Moses, Jacob, Joseph of the Old Testament, or one of the Prophets like Isaiah or Elisha. It’s no different with Mary. God allowed salvation in the person of Jesus Christ to enter into the world through Mary, even though he could have just appeared all on his own. In like manner, it shows great humility on our part to approach Jesus in the exact same way that He approached us - Through Mary. After all, if Jesus was obedient to Mary for 30 years of his life here on earth, shouldn’t we imitate Him in that respect? If Mary was good enough for Jesus, who are we to say that she isn’t good enough for us? Jesus Himself said that “No servant is greater than His Master”.

If one is lost and needs to get somewhere, the best thing to do is to find someone who knows the way better than anyone else. Most of mankind is lost, and needs to find Jesus. Mary is the one person who knows the way better than anyone else, because she and Jesus shared the same body for 9 months, Jesus was subject to her for 30 years, they probably even look alike, and they are of one accord. Getting close to Mary is the fastest and best way to get close to Jesus. It’s pure folly to even think that by getting close to Mary you are somehow getting farther away from Jesus. Jesus got his sacred Body and his precious Blood from MARY!

Catholics never have worshiped Mary as a goddess, but we do recognize that her soul, like every other soul ever made, is very much alive. People who say that Mary is dead sound more like atheists than like Christians. Mary says that her soul “magnifies the Lord”, which makes Jesus clearer, more in focus, and larger. That’s a great lens to be looking at Jesus through. According to Gabriel, Mary was full of grace before the incarnation of Jesus, which indicates that Mary was part of the heavenly plan all along, not a random choice.

Mary is the daughter of God the Father, the bride of the Holy Spirit, and the mother of Jesus. That would make it almost blasphemous to put her down on every occasion. As Gabriel said, in a message from God, “Hail Mary!” Catholics agree wholeheartedly with Gabriel!
 
The due reverence to God is called “latria” or adoration. This is a reverence due to God alone. Thus, we would adore the Eucharist, since we believe it’s Jesus.

The reverence due the saints is called “dula”. It’s a respect towards them, as they are in heaven, and have been purified by God, so they should be shown respect.

The reverence due Mary is called “hyperdula” (notice the hyper is added to dula). This just means we give Mary more respect than that of the saints, but no where near that of latria/adoration.

Another important note is that Mary does nothing of her own accord: Jesus ascended into heaven, by his own power, but Mary was assumed into heaven by the power of God.

To answer if Mary leads us to Jesus the answer is yes!🙂 Two titles for Mary are “Mediatrix of Graces”, and the “Refuge of Sinners”. Every grace given to us by Jesus pass through Mary as well. She is a refuge because many sinners have been converted through her prayers, even at the hour of death, because people have asked Our Lady to pray for sinners. The Blessed Virgin was the person chosen to bring Jesus into the world, and is the person chosen to bring us out of the world, to Jesus. The only case that her devotion wouldn’t lead us to Jesus is if we presume on her prayers, thinking that praying the daily rosary gets us out of going to confession.
 
True Devotion is an amazing book. I understand what you mean by the language, though; it took me a couple of readings to really understand what St. Louis meant.

As others have said, never think that being close to Mary takes away from God. She even said it herself in the Gospels: “My soul magnifies the Lord.” God freely chose to send His Son into the world by Mary; what better way to get back to Him than by the way He came?

“She is an echo of God, speaking and repeating only God. If you say ‘Mary’ she says ‘God’.” – St. Louis de Montfort

“Never be afraid of loving Mary too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” – St. Maximilian Kolbe
 
Milestone said:
I’ve just started reading St. Louis De Montfort’s book, True Devotion to Mary. Coming from a protestant background, I feel a little uneasy with the language he uses to describe Mary and how we should treat her, however I’m trying to get accustomed to it. The reason I’m reading the book in the first place is because I believe in all the Church teaches, and I want to garner a strong devotion to her so as to grow closer to God. Something I am worried about, however, is growing too close to Mary, closer than I am with God. St. Louis De Montfort addresses this worry in his book, and says any true devotion to Mary, no matter how strong, will lead to an even greater closeness to Jesus Christ. Is this true? Is all of my worrying in vain? Or is there indeed a line that needs to be drawn? How would I know when I’ve crossed the line? And how do I garner a healthy devotion to the Blessed Virgin?
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St Louis de Montfort in True Devotion to Mary teaches a total consecration to Mary and through Mary to Jesus. Total consecration to Mary means that we voluntarily hand or give over to Mary all that we are and possess, our body and soul, the soul’s spiritual powers of intellect and will, the merits of our good works, our external possessions and whatever we may come to possess. In a word, total consecration to Mary means just that ‘Total’, without reservations and limitations. There is no line, reservation, or limitation to worry about here, otherwise it wouldn’t be a total consecration. The end of total consecration to Mary is not Mary herself but Jesus Christ and God. We consecrate ourselves to Mary so that we may belong more perfectly to Jesus Christ and God. The more one belongs or is closer to Mary the more are they going to belong and be closer to God because Mary is all God’s and she is totally possessed in every fiber of her being with the Holy Spirit. If Mary communicates her spirit to a soul, this is nothing less than being communicated with the Holy Spirit. The Blessed Virgin is God’s most perfect and holiest creature and the one most closest to him. Mary is our mother in the order of divine grace and she fulfills this office in us in cooperation with the Holy Spirit in the distribution of all the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit. St Louis de Montfort liked to call True Devotion to Mary a secret of grace (cf. The Secret of Mary also written by St Louis de Montfort) but it is founded upon the divine plan of the redemption of the human race wrought by Jesus Christ of which Mary played a wholly unique and singular role in cooperation and subordinate to Jesus; her divine maternity and motherhood over the Church and every member of the Church, and her title as Mediatrix of All Graces in which Mary cooperates with the Holy Spirit in the distribution of all the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

I would recommend also reading the writings of St Maximilian Kolbe, that other great apostle of Mary and teacher of total consecration to Mary of the 20th century. The teaching and life of St Kolbe helped me to understand better and more concretely the teaching of St Louis de Montfort. And more to the point, the idea and fear that may come to mind about placing to much emphasis as it were on Mary (as if she could be an obstacle to God) or about drawing some kind of line or holding something back concerning consecration to Mary. For St Maximilian Kolbe, such ideas and fears are baseless. The total consecration to Mary taught by Fr. Kolbe which is essentially the same as the teaching of St Louis de Montfort is simply ‘total’, without limitations or reservations and for eternity. And after we have made the act of total consecration to Mary, we should strive to belong more to Mary day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute so that we may belong more perfectly to Jesus Christ and God. This, in the words of St Kolbe, is the highest christian perfection attainable in this life.

“How little is the Immaculate known even now, in theory and still less in practice in everyday life! How many prejudices, incomprehensions and doubts still linger in the minds of some people! May the Immaculate permit her Niepokalanow [Marytown] to dispel these shadows, to dissipate these cold fogs, to revivify and enkindle the fire of love towards her without any limitations, in full liberty, without those vain fears which constrict and chill hearts. So may people seek the King not next to his palace, but within it, inside it, in its innermost chambers [in Mary].” (St Maximilian Kolbe).

Some books in print concerning the teaching and writings of St Maximilian Kolbe:
Immaculate Conception and the Holy Spirit - The Marian Teachings of Father Kolbe, by Fr. H.M. Manteau-Bonamy.
The Kolbe Reader - The Writings of St Maximilian Kolbe: Fr. Anselm Romb, commentator and editor.
All for the Immaculata! - Conferences of St Maximilian Kolbe 1919-1937, edited by Br. Robert Cook.
Kolbe - Saint of the Immaculata: edited by Bro. Francis M. Kalvelage
 
Dorothy said:
Milestone,

Over the years I have made several consecrations. (St. Louis de Montfort)

Absolutely yes that the Blessed Virgin brings us closer to Jesus!

Our Mother Mary has been blessed with many privileges …for our sake!

I do understand that as a Protestant you have not been exposed to this kind of thinking.

I remember a priest, long ago, describing our Mother Mary this way:

“She is like a clear pane of glass that the Holy Trinity shines through…no smudges (sinless).”

I am paraphrasing, I don’t remember the exact words.
She truly is our spiritual Mother, given to us as the foot of the cross. Her will and Jesus our Savior’s will is one.

She did have to ponder and grow in faith, hope, and love over the years.

Peace to you in Jesus and Mary,

Dorothy
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“She is like a clear pane of glass that the Holy Trinity shines through…no smudges (sinless).”

I love this way of looking at Mary … thanks for posting it.
 
God freely chose to send His Son into the world by Mary; what better way to get back to Him than by the way He came?
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👍

One of the videos I recommended says the exact same thing. God could have chosen to send Jesus into the world any number of ways. **But He chose the best way…through Mary. **

Jesus came to us through Mary so we also go to Jesus through Mary. Makes perfect sense.

And as others have stated, we can never love Mary more than God. When you love Mary, you love God.
 
Katherine438 said:
“She is like a clear pane of glass that the Holy Trinity shines through…no smudges (sinless).”

I love this way of looking at Mary … thanks for posting it.
Click to expand...
And, thanks to the priest who gave me that image. 🙂
 
Milestone said:
I’ve just started reading St. Louis De Montfort’s book, True Devotion to Mary. Coming from a protestant background, I feel a little uneasy with the language he uses to describe Mary and how we should treat her, however I’m trying to get accustomed to it. The reason I’m reading the book in the first place is because I believe in all the Church teaches, and I want to garner a strong devotion to her so as to grow closer to God. Something I am worried about, however, is growing too close to Mary, closer than I am with God. St. Louis De Montfort addresses this worry in his book, and says any true devotion to Mary, no matter how strong, will lead to an even greater closeness to Jesus Christ. Is this true? Is all of my worrying in vain? Or is there indeed a line that needs to be drawn? How would I know when I’ve crossed the line? And how do I garner a healthy devotion to the Blessed Virgin?
Click to expand...
Yes it is true that true devotion to Our Lady will lead to greater closeness to Christ. Your worrying is in vain and it is not possible to cross the line. It really isn’t. She was created solely to bear God’s only Son, and to be the Mother of God. If you were to ponder that a little bit more in your own time, with a childlike sincerity, rather than being led by other (say, Protestant) influences out there, than how would you be led anywhere else but to God, eventually?
 
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