"Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in battle array?" - Song of Songs 6:10
(Continue) LEGIONARIES SHOULD UNDERTAKE DE MONTFORT’S TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY (Page 39-41)
I have to admit that I took this section 5 reading very personally. I cannot help but remember when I was in front of the Grotto in Lourdes back in the early 2000s. It was my second pilgrimage with my family in Lourdes and we stayed there for 10 days. I took time to finish St. Louis-Marie de Monfort’s book “On the True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.” It was a chilled February night and I knelt alone in the back. In the front, there were about 20 seminarians from New Jersey with their leader who was a priest. I presume a lot of them are priests in action now. That night when their leader consecrated them to Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, I silently dedicated myself and my family to her in the back. I was so touched and appreciated the opportunity in surrendering my family to her and through her to Jesus in the manner of total devotion. This devotion helped me to understand that what we say and we do in our life are together with Mary, in Mary, through Mary, and for Mary. I don’t know if you have had the chance to read appendix 5 in the handbook, titled “The confraternity of Mary, Queen of All Hearts.”? St. Louis-Marie de Monfort in this treatise “On the True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary,” expressed the desire that all those who practice this devotion should give themselves entirely to Mary in order to belong entirely to Jesus through her. St. Louis-Marie de Monfort said it requires to give
Our body, with its senses and members.
Our souls with its faculties.
Our present material possessions and all we shall acquire in the future.
Our interior and spiritual possessions, that is, our merits, virtues and good actions of the past, the present and the future.
He said, in other words, we give her all we possess, both in our natural life and in our spiritual life as well as everything we shall acquire in the future in the order of nature, of grace and of glory in heaven. Today’s reading expressed a concern of“If I give everything to Mary, will I not at the hour of my departure from this life stand empty-handed before my Judge, and therefore perhaps have to go for a vast time into Purgatory?” To me it is totally opposite, if we give everything, I mean everything to Mary, this everything should also include our worry and our concern, so why should we have any concern or worry? The things made me thinking twice was to give Mary all our present material possessions and all we shall acquire in the future. What does it mean? Does it mean we all should learn from St. Francis of Assisi, give away every possession, such as house, family, income, and even clothes that cover our bodies? In a sense, it is, however we are no St. Francis. In reality, we can understand St. Louis-Marie de Monfort better. What he is saying is that true devotion must represent not an act but a state. In this devotion we sacrifice to Jesus through Mary all that is most dear to us, not only the material possessions but also the inner possessions of our soul, namely, our merits, graces, virtues and atonements. In other words, we give the right to dispose of ourselves, of the value of our prayers and alms, of our acts of self-denial and atonements. It doesn’t mean we cannot have any possessions but to leave everything to the free disposal of our Lady, for her to use as she wills for the greater glory of God, of which she alone is perfectly aware. This was similar to what St. Therese of Lisieux had said, I wish to be a little ball, however played by God, when he is finished, he can throw it away to the corner and let it be there to be ignored. We must humbly request it of our Lady, abiding always by her decision, and fully convinced that the value of our actions, being dispensed by that same hand which God himself uses to distribute his gifts and graces to us for his greatest glory.
My dear brothers and sisters, consecrate yourselves and your families to our Lady, I am sure that you will gain profound graces, more than you can ever think or expect. May God bless all of us in His two loving hearts. Amen.