TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY - NINTH DAY

 

DEVOTION TO OUR LADY

By St. Louis-Marie de Montfort 

If devotion to the Blessed Virgin is necessary for all men simply to work out their salvation, it is even more necessary for those who are called to a special perfection. I do not believe that anyone can acquire intimate union with our Lord and perfect fidelity to the Holy Spirit without a very close union with the most Blessed Virgin and an absolute dependence on her support.

Mary’s part in the latter times

The salvation of the world began through Mary and through her it must be accomplished. Mary scarcely appeared in the first coming of Jesus Christ so that men, as yet insufficiently instructed and enlightened concerning the person of her Son, might not wander from the truth by becoming too strongly attached to her. This would apparently have happened if she had been known, on account of the wondrous charms with which Almighty God had endowed even her outward appearance. So true is this that St. Denis the Areopagite tells us in his writings that when he saw her he would have taken her for a goddess, because of her incomparable beauty, had not his well-grounded faith taught him otherwise. But in the second coming of Jesus Christ, Mary must be known and openly revealed by the Holy Spirit so that Jesus may be known, loved and served through her. The reasons which moved the Holy Spirit to hide his spouse during her life and to reveal but very little of her since the first preaching of the gospel exist no longer.

Great power over the evil spirits that, as they have often been forced unwillingly to admit through the lips of possessed persons, they fear one of her pleadings for a soul more than the prayers of all the saints, and one of her threats more than all their other torments.

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 1, Chapter 13, cont.  

Fire tries iron, and temptation a just man. We often know not what we are able to do, but temptations discover  what we are. Still, we must watch, especially in the beginning of temptation; for then the enemy is more easily overcome, if he be not suffered to enter the door of the mind, but is withstood upon the threshold the very moment he knocks. Whence a certain one has said "Resist beginnings; all too late the cure." When ills have gathered  strength, by long delay, first there comes from the mind a simple thought; then a strong imagination; afterwards, delight; and the evil motion and consent—so, little by little, the fiend does gain entrance when he is not resisted at the beginning. The longer anyone has been slothful in resisting, the weaker he becomes daily in  himself, and the enemy becomes so much the stronger in him. Some suffer grievous temptations in the beginning of their conversion; others in the end; and others are troubled nearly their whole life. Some are very lightly tempted,  according to the wisdom and equity of the ordinance of God who weighs man's condition and merits and preordained all things for the salvation of His elect. We must not, therefore, despair when we are tempted, but the  more fervently pray to God to help us in every tribulation: Who, of a truth, according to the sayings of St. Paul, will  make such issue with the temptation that we are able to sustain it.

Let us then humble our souls under the hand of God in every temptation and tribulation, for the humble in spirit,  He will save and exalt. In temptation and tribulations, it is proved what progress man has made; and there also is  great merit, and virtue is made more manifest.   

Veni Creator

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O Comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above.

Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts art known; Thou, finger of God’s hand, we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue.

Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o’erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside.

Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given; with Thee, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen.

Ave Maris Stella

Hail, O Star of the ocean, God’s own Mother blest, ever sinless Virgin, gate of heavenly rest.

Taking that sweet Ave, which from Gabriel came, peace confirm within us, changing Eve’s name.

Break the sinners’ fetters, make our blindness day, Chase all evils from us, for all blessings pray.

Show thyself a Mother, may the Word divine born for us thine 

Infant hear our prayers through thine.

Virgin all excelling, mildest of the mild, free from guilt preserve us meek and undefiled.

Keep our life all spotless, make our way secure till we find in Jesus, joy for evermore.

Praise to God the Father, honor to the Son, in the Holy Spirit, be the glory one. Amen.

Magnificat

My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is from generation to generations, to them that fear Him. He hath shown might in His arm; He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat; and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy. As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever. Amen.

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

 

TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY - EIGHTH DAY

 

TRUE DEVOTION TO OUR LADY

By St. Louis-Marie de Montfort

Mary alone found grace before God without the help of any other creature. All those who have since found grace before God have found it only through her. She was full of grace when she was greeted by the Archangel Gabriel and was filled with grace to overflowing by the Holy Spirit when he so mysteriously overshadowed her. From day to day, from moment to moment, she increased this twofold plenitude so much that she attained an immense and inconceivable degree of grace. So much so that the Almighty made her the sole custodian of his treasures and the sole dispenser of his graces. She can now ennoble, exalt and enrich all she chooses. She can lead them along the narrow path to heaven and guide them through the narrow gate to life. She can give a royal throne, scepter and crown to whom she wishes. Jesus is always and everywhere the fruit and Son of Mary, and Mary is everywhere the genuine tree that bears that Fruit of life, the true Mother who bears that Son.

To Mary alone God gave the keys of the cellars of divine love and the ability to enter the most sublime and secret ways of perfection and lead others along them. Mary alone gives to the unfortunate children of unfaithful Eve entry into that earthly paradise where they may walk pleasantly with God and be safely hidden from their enemies. There they can feed without fear of death on the delicious fruit of the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They can drink copiously of the heavenly waters of that beauteous fountain which gushes forth in such abundance. As she is herself the earthly paradise, that virgin and blessed land from which sinful Adam and Eve were expelled, she lets only those whom she chooses enter her domain in order to make them saints.

 

'The Temptation of St. Jerome' 

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 1, Chapter 13  

Of Resisting Temptations  

As long as we live in this world, we cannot be without temptations and tribulations. Hence it is written in Job "Man's life on earth is a temptation." Everyone therefore should be solicitous about his temptations and watch in  prayer lest the devil find an opportunity to catch him: who never sleeps, but goes about, seeking whom he can  devour. No one is so perfect and holy as sometimes not to have temptations and we can never be wholly free  from them. Nevertheless, temptations are very profitable to man, troublesome and grievous though they may be,  for in them, a man is humbled, purified and instructed. All the Saints passed through many tribulations and  temptations and were purified by them. And they that could not support temptations, became reprobate, and fell away.  

Many seek to flee temptations, and fall worse into them. We cannot conquer by flight alone, but by patience and  true humility we become stronger than all our enemies. He who only declines them outwardly, and does not pluck  out their root, will profit little; nay, temptations will sooner return and he will find himself in a worse condition. By  degrees and by patience you will, by God's grace, better overcome them than by harshness and your own  importunity. Take counsel the oftener in temptation, and do not deal harshly with one who is tempted; but pour in  consolation, as thou wouldst wish to be done unto yourself. Inconstancy of mind and little confidence in God, is  the beginning of all temptations. For as a ship without a helm is driven to and fro by the waves, so the man who  neglects and gives up his resolutions is tempted in many ways.  

Veni Creator

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O Comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above.

Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts art known; Thou, finger of God’s hand, we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue.

Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o’erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside.

Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given; with Thee, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen.

Ave Maris Stella

Hail, O Star of the ocean, God’s own Mother blest, ever sinless Virgin, gate of heavenly rest.

Taking that sweet Ave, which from Gabriel came, peace confirm within us, changing Eve’s name.

Break the sinners’ fetters, make our blindness day, Chase all evils from us, for all blessings pray.

Show thyself a Mother, may the Word divine born for us thine 

Infant hear our prayers through thine.

Virgin all excelling, mildest of the mild, free from guilt preserve us meek and undefiled.

Keep our life all spotless, make our way secure till we find in Jesus, joy for evermore.

Praise to God the Father, honor to the Son, in the Holy Spirit, be the glory one. Amen.

Magnificat

My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is from generation to generations, to them that fear Him. He hath shown might in His arm; He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat; and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy. As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever. Amen.

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

 

 

 

TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY - SEVENTH DAY

 

SEVENTH DAY

Mary is the Queen of heaven and earth by grace as Jesus is king by nature and by conquest. But as the kingdom of Jesus Christ exists primarily in the heart or interior of man, according to the words of the Gospel, “The kingdom of God is within you,” so the kingdom of the Blessed Virgin is principally in the interirior of man, that is, in his soul. It is principally in souls that she is glorified with her Son more than in any visible creature. So we may call her, as the saints do, Queen of our hearts.

The pious and learned Jesuit, Suarez, Justus Lipsius, a devout and erudite theologian of Louvain, and many others have proved incontestably that devotion to our Blessed Lady is necessary to attain salvation. This they show from the teaching of the Fathers, notably St. Augustine, St. Ephrem, deacon of Edessa, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Germanus of Constantinople, St. John Damascene, St. Anselm, St. Bernard, St. Bernadine, St. Thomas and St. Bonaventure. Even according to Oecolampadius and other heretics, lack of esteem and love for the Virgin Mary is an infallible sign of God’s disapproval. On the other hand, to be entirely and genuinely devoted to her is a sure sign of God’s approval.

 Marian Prayer Of Saint Gregory

Mary, you are the vessel

and tabernacle containing all Mysteries.

You know what the Patriarchs did not know;

you experienced what was not revealed to the Angels;

you heard what the Prophets did not hear.

In short, everything that was hidden

from preceding generations

was made known to you;

even more,

most of these wonders depended on you.

Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary

Day 7 of 33

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 1, Chapter 18, cont.

Outwardly they suffered want, but within they were refreshed with grace and Divine consolation. They were aliens  to the world; they seemed as nothing and the world despised them; but they were precious and beloved in the  sight of God. They persevered in true humility, they lived in simple obedience, they walked in charity and  patience, and so every day they advanced in spirit and gained great favor with God. They were given, for example, to all religious, and ought more to excite us to advance in good than the number of the lukewarm to induce us to  grow remiss. Oh! how great was the fervor of all religious in the beginning of their holy institute! Oh, how great  was their devotion in prayer, how great was their zeal for virtue! How vigorous the discipline that was kept up,  what reverence and obedience, under the rule of the superior, flourished in all! Their traces that remain still bear  witness, that they were truly holy and perfect men who did battle so stoutly, and trampled the world under their  feet. Now, he is thought great who is not a transgressor; and who can, with patience, endure what he has  undertaken. Ah, the lukewarmness and negligence of our state! that we soon fall away from our first fervor, and  are even now tired with life, from slothfulness and tepidity. Oh that advancement in virtue be not quite asleep in thee, who has so often seen the manifold examples of the devout! 

Veni Creator

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O Comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above.

Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts art known; Thou, finger of God’s hand, we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue.

Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o’erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside.

Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given; with Thee, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen.

Ave Maris Stella

Hail, O Star of the ocean, God’s own Mother blest, ever sinless Virgin, gate of heavenly rest.

Taking that sweet Ave, which from Gabriel came, peace confirm within us, changing Eve’s name.

Break the sinners’ fetters, make our blindness day, Chase all evils from us, for all blessings pray.

Show thyself a Mother, may the Word divine born for us thine 

Infant hear our prayers through thine.

Virgin all-excelling, mildest of the mild, free from guilt, preserve us meek and undefiled.

Keep our lives spotless, and make our way secure until we find in Jesus, joy for evermore.

Praise to God the Father, honor to the Son; in the Holy Spirit be the glory one. Amen.

Magnificat

My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is from generation to generations, to them that fear Him. He hath shown might in His arm; He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat; and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy. As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever. Amen.

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY -DAY 6

 

Day 6 of 33

Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 1, Chapter 18

On the examples of the Holy Fathers.

Look upon the lively examples of the holy Fathers in whom shone real perfection and the religious life, and you will see how little it is, and almost nothing that we do. Alas, what is our life when we compare it with theirs? Saints and friends of Christ, they served our Lord in hunger and in thirst, in cold, in nakedness, in labor and in weariness, in watching, in fasting, prayers and holy meditations, and in frequent persecutions and reproaches. Oh, how many grievous tribulations did the Apostles suffer and the Martyrs and Confessors and Virgins, and all the rest who resolved to follow the steps of Christ! For they hated their lives in this world, that they might keep them in life everlasting. Oh what a strict and self-renouncing life the holy Fathers of the desert led! What long and grievous temptations did they bear! How often were they harassed by the enemy, what frequent and fervent prayers did they offer up to God, what rigorous abstinence did they practice!

What a valiant contest waged they to subdue their imperfections! What purity and straightforwardness of purpose kept they towards God! By day they labored, and much of the night they spent in prayer; though while they labored, they were far from leaving off mental prayer. They spent all their time profitably. Every hour seemed short to spend with God; and even their necessary bodily refreshment was forgotten in the great sweetness of contemplation. They renounced all riches, dignities, honors and kindred; they hardly took what was necessary for life. It grieved them to serve the body even in its necessity. Accordingly, they were poor in earthly things, but very rich in grace and virtues.

Veni Creator

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O Comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above.

Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts art known; Thou, finger of God’s hand, we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue.

Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o’erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside.

Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given; with Thee, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen.

Ave Maris Stella

Hail, O Star of the ocean, God’s own Mother blest, ever sinless Virgin, gate of heavenly rest.

Taking that sweet Ave, which from Gabriel came, peace confirm within us, changing Eve’s name.

Break the sinners’ fetters, make our blindness day, Chase all evils from us, for all blessings pray.

Show thyself a Mother, may the Word divine born for us thine 

Infant hear our prayers through thine.

Virgin all excelling, mildest of the mild, free from guilt preserve us meek and undefiled.

Keep our life all spotless, make our way secure till we find in Jesus, joy for evermore.

Praise to God the Father, honor to the Son, in the Holy Spirit, be the glory one. Amen.

Magnificat

My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is from generation to generations, to them that fear Him. He hath shown might in His arm; He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat; and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy. As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever. Amen.

Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.