"...without her I would not have Him..."

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

These next 2 paragraphs from St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion” are powerfully beautiful. By God’s Grace let us read them very prayerfully, slowly and gratefully:

1. “This one and that one were born in her.” According to the explanation of some of the Fathers, the first man born of Mary is the God-man, Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ, the head of mankind, is born of her, the predestinate, who are members of this head, must also as a necessary consequence be born of her. One and the same mother does not give birth to the head without the members nor to the members without the head, for these would be monsters in the order of nature. In the order of grace likewise the head and the members are born of the same mother. If a member of the mystical body of Christ, that is, one of the predestinate, were born of a mother other than Mary who gave birth to the head, he would not be one of the predestinate, nor a member of Jesus Christ, but a monster in the order of grace.
2. Moreover, Jesus is still as much as ever the fruit of Mary, as heaven and earth repeat thousands of times a day: “Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.” It is therefore certain that Jesus is the fruit and gift of Mary for every single man who possesses Him, just as truly as He is for all mankind. Consequently, if any of the faithful have Jesus formed in their heart they can boldly say, “It is thanks to Mary that what I possess is Jesus her fruit, and without her I would not have Him.” We can attribute more truly to her what Saint Paul said of himself, “I am in labour again with all the children of God until Jesus Christ, my Son, is formed in them to the fullness of his age.” Saint Augustine, surpassing himself as well as all that I have said so far, affirms that in order to be conformed to the image of the Son of God all the predestinate, while in the world, are hidden in the womb of the Blessed Virgin where they are protected, nourished, cared for and developed by this good Mother, until the day she brings them forth to a life of glory after death, which the Church calls the birthday of the just. This is indeed a mystery of grace unknown to the reprobate and little known even to the predestinate!

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your Faithful; kindle in us the Fire of Your Love. Jesus we trust in You! Mary, our Mother and Model for the Church, pray for us.

 

[patricius79]

Saint Augustine, surpassing himself as well as all that I have said so far, affirms that in order to be conformed to the image of the Son of God all the predestinate, while in the world, are hidden in the womb of the Blessed Virgin where they are protected, nourished, cared for and developed by this good Mother, until the day she brings them forth to a life of glory after death, which the Church calls the birthday of the just.

St. Bernardine teaches this also, as quoted in “The Glories of Mary”.

Pope St. Pius X’s Encyclical “Ad Diem Illum” fits perfectly with this teaching as well. This Pope wrote:

1. Leaving aside charity towards God, who can contemplate the Immaculate Virgin without feeling moved to fulfill that precept which Christ called peculiarly His own, namely that of loving one another as He loved us? “A great sign,” thus the Apostle St. John describes a vision divinely sent him, appears in the heavens: “A woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars upon her head” ( Apoc . xii., 1). Everyone knows that this woman signified the Virgin Mary, the stainless one who brought forth our Head. The Apostle continues: "And, being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered" ( Apoc . xii., 2). John therefore saw the Most Holy Mother of God already in eternal happiness, yet travailing in a mysterious childbirth. What birth was it? Surely it was the birth of us who, still in exile, are yet to be generated to the perfect charity of God, and to eternal happiness. And the birth pains show the love and desire with which the Virgin from heaven above watches over us, and strives with unwearying prayer to bring about the fulfillment of the number of the elect.
   http://w2.vatican.va/content/pius-x...x_enc_02021904_ad-diem-illum-laetissimum.html

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear patricius,

Thanks for your “heart” to let us know you read and pondered the beautiful, powerful words of St. Louis de Montfort. Thanks also for your reply which includes the quote from St. Pius X’s Encyclical.

St. Louis’ words, quoting St. Augustine, also touched me this morning as I was preparing today’s post. It was St. Louis de Montfort’s Total Consecration that led me to have a far greater appreciation of my Baptism than before I became acquainted with his writing. This particular quote which St Louis de Montfort repeats from St. Augustine so beautifully helps us understand how perfectly God has placed Mary in our lives-- that He forms us by the power of the Holy Spirit, as He formed Christ in her. What a powerful and beautiful image for us to “see” by faith, how we are “hidden in the womb of Mary” where we are protected, nourished, cared for and developed by this good Mother, until the day she brings us forth to a life of glory after death, which the Church calls the birthday of the just.

It will take all eternity to thank God for all His loving gifts to us!