Maybe here is a concern that His Holiness Pope John Paul II considered!
Reflections on True Devotion to Mary by His Holiness Pope John Paul II http://www.michaeljournal.org/montfort.htm he writes:** "I myself, in the years of my youth, found reading this book a great help. “There I found the answers to my questions”, for at one point I had feared that if my devotion to Mary “became too great, it might end up compromising the supremacy of the worship owed to Christ” (Gift and Mystery). Under the wise guidance of St. Louis Marie, I realized that if one lives in the mystery of Mary in Christ, the risk does not exist. In fact, this Saint’s Mariological thought “is rooted in the mystery of the Trinity and in the truth of the Incarnation of the Word of God” ** Book
ewtn.com/library/montfort/truedevo.htm Preparation for 33 day consecration to the Blessed Virgin
saintlouisdemontfort.com/consecration.cfm
In my weak, stupid, limited understanding (please feel free to correct me if I am wrong) two important things on devotion to Jesus
through Mary are that God lifts up the lowly and brings down the proud "Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.
James 4:10 and God looks at our merits when he comes to us, hence why it is a blessing to suffer - we demonstrate love of God. "The prayer of a
righteous man avails much."
James 5:16 So when we pray
through Mary, we avail ourselves of Mary’s merits, always far exceeding our own, and go through an intermediary to Jesus, more humble than going on our own.
When we read about Jesus, we read about him
through St. Luke, St. John, St. Mark, and St. Matthew.
Now, is this true? Does humbling ourselves by praying to Jesus
through Mary really bring us deep, intimate union with God? Maybe the saints who merited priveleges of receiving the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Divine Mercy devotions that give such deep knowledge of the LOVE and MERCY of God in a ways never known before, humbled themself in this way. St. Mary Faustina said she did this
according to the instruction of Jesus himself
Excerpt from
Vie par elle-meme by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom was revealed the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“The Blessed Virgin has always taken great care of me. I had recourse to her in all my necessities and she has preserved me from great dangers. I did not dare address myself to her divine son, but only to her, and I often presented her with the little crown of the rosary, which I said on my bare knees, or genuflecting and kissing the ground at every Ave Maria.” episcopalacademy.org/drum/trea/TREA5-06/Wrighttrea06a.pdf To the best of my horribly imperfect knowledge, she like St. Therese of Liseux devoted her life to Christ after being healed after prayer to Mary of childhood illnesses.
St. Mary Faustina’s Diary:
Divine Mercy in My Soul Excerpt from Notebook #1, #32 Another time I heard these words,
Go to the Superior and ask her to allow you to make a daily hour of adoration for nine days. During this adoration try to unite yourself in prayer with My Mother. Pray with all your heart in union with Mary, and try also during this time to make the Way of the Cross. saint-faustina.com/Diary/DMIMS1.shtml She started off directed by God in clear and uncertain words to a Marian convent, Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy.
Polish Saint Maximilian Maria studied philosophy, theology, mathematics, and physics as a college student, before earning a doctorate in philosophy and a doctorate in theology in Rome, while suffering from tuberculosis. He became a priest, changed his name to Maria from Kolbe to venerate Mary, sheltered 2,000 Jews in his friary during the Holocaust, when taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp offered to die in place of another man since that man had family and he did not as an abstinent friar. During his time in the cell, he led the men in songs and prayer. After three weeks of dehydration and starvation, he was injected with carbolic acid and died. He is reported on the Jewish Virtual Library as Righteous Among the Nations. Maybe he was Christ-like and he apostolically spread devotion to Jesus through Mary.
jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Kolbe.html.He founded Slaves of the Immaculata,
www.consecration.com. More information:
acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2005/09/st-maximilian-kolbe.html
They are all named Mary too!
*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *
Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.
For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world! For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world! For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *
Truly, He is the greatest love the world has ever known.