Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort

	Use the Same Means that God Used in Coming Down to Us If we wish to go to God, seeking union with him, we must use the same means that he used in coming down from heaven to us. This does not mean that one who has discovered Mary through a genuine devotion is exempt from crosses and sufferings. Far from it! One is tried even more than others, because Mary, as Mother of the living, gives to all her children splinters of the tree of life, which is the Cross of Jesus. But while meting out crosses to them she gives the grace to bear them with patience, and even with joy. In this way, the crosses she sends to those who trust themselves to her are rather like sweetmeats, i.e. "sweetened" crosses rather than "bitter" ones. If from time to time they do taste the bitterness of the chalice from which we must drink to become proven friends of God, the consolation and joy which their Mother sends in the wake of their sorrows creates in them a strong desire to carry even heavier and still more bitter crosses. The difficulty, then, is how to arrive at the true knowledge of the most holy Virgin and so find grace in abundance through her. God, as the absolute Master, can give directly what he ordinarily dispenses only through Mary, and it would be rash to deny that he sometimes does so. However, St Thomas assures us that, following the order established by his divine Wisdom, God ordinarily imparts his graces to men through Mary. Therefore, if we wish to go to him, seeking union with him, we must use the same means that he used in coming down from heaven to assume our human nature and to impart his graces to us. That means was a complete dependence on Mary his Mother, which is true devotion to her. Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort The Secret of Mary 22-23

The Eucharist Leads Us to the Magnificat

	In the Eucharist the Church is completely united to Christ and his sacrifice, and makes her own the spirit of Mary. This truth can be understood more deeply by re-reading the Magnificat in a Eucharistic key. The Eucharist, like the Canticle of Mary, is first and foremost praise and thanksgiving. When Mary exclaims: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” she already bears Jesus in her womb. She praises God “through” Jesus, but she also praises him “in” Jesus and “with” Jesus. This is itself the true “Eucharistic attitude.” At the same time Mary recalls the wonders worked by God in salvation history in fulfilment of the promise once made to the fathers (cf. Lk 1:55), and proclaims the wonder that surpasses them all, the redemptive incarnation. Lastly, the Magnificat reflects the eschatological tension of the Eucharist. Every time the Son of God comes again to us in the “poverty” of the sacramental signs of bread and wine, the seeds of that new history wherein the mighty are “put down from their thrones” and “those of low degree are exalted” (cf. Lk 1:52), take root in the world. Mary sings of the “new heavens” and the “new earth” which find in the Eucharist their anticipation and in some sense their programme and plan. The Magnificat expresses Mary's spirituality, and there is nothing greater than this spirituality for helping us to experience the mystery of the Eucharist. The Eucharist has been given to us so that our life, like that of Mary, may become completely a Magnificat! John Paul II Excerpt of: John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Ecclesia de Eucharistia 2003  58

Consecrated to Mary

The More One is Consecrated to Mary, the More one is Consecrated to Jesus “As all perfection consists in our being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus it naturally follows that the most perfect of all devotions is that which conforms, unites, and consecrates us most completely to Jesus. Now of all God's creatures Mary is the most conformed to Jesus. It therefore follows that, of all devotions, devotion to her makes for the most effective consecration and conformity to him. The more one is consecrated to Mary, the more one is consecrated to Jesus. That is why perfect consecration to Jesus is but a perfect and complete consecration of oneself to the Blessed Virgin, which is the devotion I teach; or in other words, it is the perfect renewal of the vows and promises of holy baptism.” (TD 120) Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)

ENDURING ALL PART I

All Grievous Things Are to Be Endured For Eternal Life

Son, be not dismayed with the labors which thou hast undertake for Me, neither let tribulations ever cast thee down; but let My promise strengthen thee, and comfort thee in ever event. PS CXVIII. 71
 
I am sufficient to reward thee beyond all measure. GEN XV 1

  Thou shalt not labor here long, nor shalt thou be always oppressed with sorrows.

  Wait a little while and thou shalt see a speedy end of all they evils.

  The hour will come when labor and trouble shall be no more.

  All is little and short which passeth away with time WIS III 9

  Do thy part well; mind what thou art about; labor faithfully in My vineyard, I will be they reward.

  Write, read, sing sigh, keep silence, pray, bear thy crosses manfully; eternal life is worthy of all these, and greater combats.

  Peace shall come in one day, which is known to the Lord; and it shall not be a vicissitude of day and night,k such as is at present; but everlasting light, infinite brightness, steadfast peace, and secure rest.  APOC XXI 23

  Thou shalt not then say: Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? ROM VII 24.  Nor shalt thou cry out: Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged.  PS CXIX 5  For death shall be no more, but never-failing health: no anxiety, but blessed delight, and a society sweet and lovely.

  Oh, if thou hadst seen the everlasting crown of the saints in heaven, and in how great glory they now triumph who appeared contemptible heretofore to this world, and in a manner even unworthy of life, doubtless thou wouldst immediately cast thyself down to the very earth, and wouldst rather seek to be under the feet of all, than to have command over so much as one.
My Imitation of Christ (Ch 47)

TRUE FRIENDSHIP

The Believer

A FAITHFUL friend, says Scripture, is a rich treasure.
That gift is given only to those who fear the Lord.(Sir 6:14, 17).
Mary, God enabled you to find that priceless treasure in
Elizabeth, and she found it in you.
Each of you provides a model of perfect friendship, of holy
friendship that was free of all that corrupts human
friendship.
A happy similarity of sentiments-religious sentiments-
linked you together.  Grace and virtue were the gifts
you valued in Elizabeth and the gifts she valued in you.
You spoke frequently to each other, confided in each
other, offered each other advice, and competed in
serving  each other.  But all the proofs of friendship
which you offered each other had a single ultimate
purpose: the glorification of God.
Elizabeth must have seen that, after she had become
united in spirit to you, her relationship to God
was deeper than before.
You, holy Virgin, made the same progress in holiness
while in your cousin's house that you would have
made in the solitude of Nazareth.
You were content with the union between you and
broke off your visit without ceasing to love each
other.  The virtue that unites two hearts cannot
fall victim to inconstancy.
The Imitation of Mary (Ch 27)

Why Should I Answer the Call of My Heart?

	What motive do I have to answer the call of my heart, when by a movement of sincere piety and joyous admiration it wants to greet a young girl from Bethlehem as the woman who is blessed among all women? She is the mother of the Lord, the mother of my Lord. This is the deepest reason for my veneration and gratitude to her. Already on a natural level, an incomparable light surrounds the name “Mother” with a halo. As for authentic human sentiments, the title of “Mother” and all that it contains and signifies evokes something sacred and inviolable. The very name of Mother contains all that is most tender and pure in a person's life. Would you be able to depreciate your mother or speak ill of her? Would you want to erase her image from your soul? This is why it seems obvious to me that if Jesus is dear to us as our Lord and Savior, it is natural for us to have warm and deep feelings for the woman he used to call his Mother, his own Mother. To honor him and despise his Mother, to glorify him and belittle his Mother is not consistent if we see Jesus as the true son of Mary, the Virgin of the city of David, something we do in fact each time we recite the Apostles' Creed: “I believe in Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary”. Pastor E. Eidem, Herrens Moder (The Mother of the Lord – Variations on the Magnificat), Uppsala 1929 Quoted by Benoît Thierry d'Argenlieu, Marie Reine du Nord, In: Maria – études sur la Vierge Marie – under the direction of Hubert du Manoir, S. J. - Volume IV, 1956

"Give Us the Lady..."

	There used to be a missionary priest who recited his rosary while hiking on the peaks behind Dalat in Vietnam. He probably prayed it very well, for the Virgin Mary listened well... This is what happened: The priest, who had learned the Moï dialect, met a wounded child, nursed him back to health and took him home to his village, where he forged a friendship with the boy’s tribe... When the “friendship” was considered strong enough, the chief uttered this mysterious request: “Give us the Lady.” What Lady? The one that can be seen in the church in Dalat... Between noon and two o’clock in the afternoon, when the market place was deserted, the mountain people who had come to the market discretely slipped in the big house and there, stunned with admiration, they stood speechless in front of “the Lady.” The priest prepared his first instructions and demands for sacrifices around this primitive desire, and finally one day it was decided that the Lady could come to them... Try to imagine the commotion: the village was scrubbed clean, a hut was built for the Lady, and fresh palm leaves were cut in the forest. Musicians, with their gongs and khens, walked down the road to meet the statue. The women put on their best clothes... Further down, in Dalat, the hill country also was exuberant. The convent prepared a large statue, decorated the stretcher with flowers, and invited all the other schools. A long procession of young people wound through the mountains. People said the rosary, singing in different languages, along the red clay path. At one point, they even had to cross a torrent on a monkey bridge! Finally, they received a moving welcome from the “village-who-loves-Mary,” with blessings, the exchange of necklaces and bracelets in signs of friendship, offerings, the celebration of Mass with the recitation of the Pater in Latin, French and Moï. The youth all picnicked together and returned home joyfully. “It is only a good-bye, my brothers.” Canonesses of Saint Augustine The Route of Our Lady in Viet Nam, January 1954 In: Maria-under the direction of Hubert du Manoir, S.J.-Volume IV 1956

The Influence of Mary Mediatrix



	When the foundations of the interior life are considered, we cannot discuss the action of Christ, the universal Mediator, on His mystical body without also speaking of the influence of Mary Mediatrix (…). Many people delude themselves maintaining that they reach union with God without having continual recourse to our Lord, who is the way, the truth, and the life. Another error consists in wishing to go to our Lord without going first to Mary, whom the Church calls on a special feast day the Mediatrix of all Graces. (…) Without going as far as this deviation, there are Catholics who do not see the necessity of having recourse to Mary clearly enough so that they may attain intimacy with the Savior. Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort even spoke of “doctors who know the Mother of God only in a speculative, dry, sterile, and indifferent manner; who fear that devotion to the Blessed Virgin is abused, and that injury is done to our Lord by honoring His holy Mother too greatly (…).” They seem to believe that Mary is a hindrance to reaching divine union. According to Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, we lack humility if we neglect the mediators whom God has given us because of our frailty. Intimacy with our Lord in prayer is truly facilitated by a real and profound devotion to Mary. By Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., The Three Ages of the Interior Life 1938.

CONVERSATIONS, THE MEANING OF PART II

What can they find to talk about so much?
Frivolous matters, rumors, worthless things.
Even the conversations they regard as most
innocent are of that kind.
It seems, moreover, that they cannot converse
without speaking  of the defects of their
neighbors.  Conversation languishes when it
stops being critical or even malicious.
Woe to you, malicious tongues!  With serpent's
fangs you delight to destroy the reputation
of the absent!  Woe to those who enjoy
hearing such talk!  Anyone who freely listens to
evil talks shares the blame for it.
The Imitation of Mary (Ch 26)

Recite this Dear Prayer

	Recite the Dear Prayer on Your Little String If you could pray for a while Without being distracted by your own thoughts, It would be an excellent thing for piety. But right now your spirit wanders. Off it goes far away into the things of this world, With so many images going through your mind! This is why it is profitable to move your lips; Then prayer rises from the heart. This is what we must understand. Recite the dear prayer on your little string, Turn your heart to the Virgin, And you will see her in Heaven. Master Michael Nicolai 1496, Odense Denmark, Quoted by Benoit Thierry d'Argenlieu, Marie Reine du Nord In: Maria-etudes sur la Vierge Marie-under the direction of Hubert du Manoir, SJ-volume IV 1956

The Lady Who Defeats the Serpent

	Quito: The Lady Who Defeats the Serpent In 1566, at the request of the most influential families and a large part of the population of the city of Quito, the King of Spain, Philip II, issued a decree for the foundation of the Royal Convent of the Immaculate Conception, which was subsequently erected in a corner of the main square of Quito. The King sent the first group of founding Mothers of the Convent from Spain and placed at their head Mother Maria de Jesus Taboada, one of his relatives as well as the aunt of Mariana Francisca de Jesus Torres. In 1576, Mother Maria, five other founding Mothers and Mariana set sail for Ecuador, but during the ocean crossing the sky suddenly darkened and a hurricane unleashed its fury with such unprecedented violence and terror that the sailors themselves, seeing that there was nothing they could do to prevent the ship from sinking, believed that the situation was hopeless. Mariana thought that she was the cause of this violent hurricane, so she prayed with her aunt and fervently invoked God's mercy. At that moment, they saw a gigantic seven-headed serpent in the crashing waves trying to attack and sink their ship. Mariana lost her senses and fainted. Daylight unexpectedly pierced through the terrible darkness and the storm subsided. When Mariana regained consciousness, she told her aunt that she had seen a serpent larger than the raging sea and a dazzlingly beautiful Lady, clothed with the sun, crowned with stars, holding a wonderful Child in her arms whose heart was covered with an image of the Most Blessed Sacrament. With one hand, the Lady brandished a large golden cross ending in the shape of a lance. With the help of the Blessed Sacrament and the Child’s hand, the Lady struck the serpent with such force that the beast was smashed into pieces. Two years later, Mother Maria had a medallion struck depicting the scene Mariana saw in her vision, and from that day on, the medal has been worn by all the Sisters of the Convent of the Immaculate Conception of Quito. Franco Adessa Our Lady of Good Success of Quito In Chiesa Viva, February 2009

Healed Through the Intercession of Our Lady of Kibeho

	Healed Through the Intercession of Our Lady of Kibeho I am going to tell you about two people I heard tell about their own experiences in Kibeho on the same day. Both of these people were miraculously healed. The first case is that of a young man who was engaged to be married. When he went for the routine medical check-up before getting married, he was found to be infected with the AIDS virus. His engagement was broken off and the fellow was left alone with his worries and fears. He continued to pray, but he thought there was no cure for him. So he decided to go and pay a visit to Our Lady of Kibeho. When he got there, he prayed with a lot of anguish, sorrow and tears. Then he went back home. His friends advised him to contact organizations that help HIV-positive people. That's what he did, but… when he was tested again for the virus in order to sign up to join a group of patients, they did not find the virus anymore! But the young man was not satisfied. He told himself, “No, it's impossible. I need to go to other hospitals to check.” So he went to several hospitals to get tested for the virus. The results were always negative. Sometime later, he met a young woman who became his girlfriend. Since they wanted to get married, they both went to see whether he was actually healed. The results were negative and they got married! Today they have two children… This young father came to give thanks to the Virgin Mary in Kibeho, he stood up in front of all the people gathered in the church, and I was one of those people. The second case is the story of a woman who had been hemorrhaging for 10 years like the woman we find in the Bible story (...). After ten years of useless treatments, this lady was completely discouraged when her friends told her to go pray Our Lady of Kibeho. She was soon on her way there… When she came back, her bleeding diminished week after week, and after a month she was completely healed! She came to give thanks to Our Lady of Kibeho on the same day that the young husband cured of AIDS came to thank the Virgin too! Testimony of Mrs. Mediatrice Ntezimana 43yrs. residing in Kigali, Rwanda, with her husband and their 8 children in 2012

CONVERSATIONS, THE MEANING OF PART 1

CONVERSATIONS

In imagination I enter Elizabeth's home as Mary

came to visit her.

What lessons of modesty, humility, discretion, and Love

I learn here!

Elizabeth recognized Mary as Mother of

her God (cf. Lk 1:42-43), showered gifts and

blessings upon her, praised her greatness, and

congratulated her on the extraordinary favors

God had done her.

Far from, letting herself be dazzled by her

own dignity, Mary gave back to God the praise

offered her and used the occasion to glorify

the Lord.

She admitted that God Who is might has done

great things for me (Lk 1:49) but she also

assigned all the glory to Him. She did not forget

that, though she was Mother of God, she was

also the servant of the Lord (Lk 1:38).  Here

is sincere humility with none of that false

modesty that so often masks a secret pride.

How many people refuse the praise offered

them because they hope thereby to win even

greater praise!  Thus they press modesty itself

into the service of vanity.

Mary and Elizabeth thought only of God

and His great deeds and mercies.  They were

filled with love and found their delight in telling

of the wonderful things His wisdom, power

and goodness had accomplished.

The mouth speaks whatever fill the heart (Mt 12:34).

You speak only of the world and its empty

show; that is sure proof that you love only

the world and that your heart is the victim

of its illusions.

"Those others belong to the world," said Jesus

to His beloved disciple; "that is why what they

say is from the world, and the world listens to

them" (1 Jn 4:5).  If they belonged to God they

would speak of Him or at least say nothing that

was not inspired by His spirit.

Remember that when God judges you, you

will have to render an account for every word

(Mt 12:36).  What a good reason for you to be

afraid!

How few conversations take place even

among professedly devout people that do not

lengthen the account we must render to God!

Chapter 26, The Imitation of Mary

The Incarnation

	The Incarnation Depends Not Only On God The Incarnation is the mystery of the Word made man: the Son of God becomes the Son of man. For Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort, the mystery of the Incarnation is the “very mystery” (TD 243) of his spiritual path, which he carries within like a flowing spring. “Eternal and Incarnate Wisdom, most lovable and adorable Jesus, true God and true man, only Son of the Eternal Father and Mary always Virgin!” (LEW 223). The Incarnation depends not only on God, but also on Jesus’ mother, on Mary and her Yes. This is why Montfort continues his prayer with the “Consecration of oneself to Jesus Christ, Wisdom Incarnate, through the hands of Mary” (LEW 225). Deeds eventually pass away, but states are permanent and keep all their salvific power (their virtue) for us. Through the Incarnation, the Son of the Father is from now and forever established in the state of Son of Mary, and Mary herself in the state of Mother of Jesus. The dependence of Jesus on Mary becomes the foundation of Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort's spiritual way. Confiding in Mary, depending on her and abandoning ourselves to her is to imitate Jesus (LEW 226), and to imitate the Holy Trinity who chose to depend on Mary for the Incarnation (TD 140). (Abbreviations: LEW: The Love of Eternal Wisdom. TD: Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin) Summary of A. Bossard's"Incarnation," by F. Breynaert Dictionnaire de spiritualite montfortaine, Novalis, Outremont (Quebec) 1994

Divine Mercy

Like the gospel command, "Be merciful, just

as your Father is merciful," this demand that we

show mercy to our neighbors "always and every-

where" seems impossible to fulfill.  But the Lord

assures us that it is possible.  "When a soul

approaches Me with trust," He explains, " I fill

it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot

contain them within itself, but radiates

them to the other souls" (1074)

St. Faustina's Diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul

The Annunciation

	Let Him Kiss Me When they considered these words from the Song of Songs that the Bride addresses to her Spouse, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth,” (Sg 1:1) the Fathers said that this kiss she so ardently desires is none other than the carrying out of the mystery of the Incarnation of Our Lord. She is referring to the long-awaited kiss expected for so many years by all the souls who deserve to be called his lovers. But in the end, the kiss that had been denied and delayed for so long was granted to the sacred Lover, Our Lady, who deserves to be called the Spouse and Lover by excellence, above all others. It was given to her by her heavenly Spouse at the Annunciation, which we celebrate today, at the same moment that she let out a most loving sigh: “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!” At that moment the divine union of the Eternal Word of God with human nature, represented by this kiss, took place in the glorious Virgin’s blessed womb. I beg you to consider the tenderness of this divine Lover’s love: “Let him kiss me,” meaning: “Let this Word who is the Word of the Father coming out of his mouth, unite himself to me through the work of the Holy Spirit, who is the Eternal Sigh of the Father's love for his Son and also of the Son for his Father.” But when was this divine kiss given to the incomparable Spouse? At the same instant that she gave the long-awaited answer to the Angel: “Let it be done as you say.” O assent worthy of mankind's greatest rejoicing since it is their eternal happiness! Saint Francis De Sales Sermon of March 25th, 1621, on the Feast of the Annunciation

A Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows

A Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows

Dearest Mother,
Before you could become the Consoler of the Afflicted, you first had to know true sorrow.
I pause with you now, and meditate on that great suffering in your life, the death and burial of your most beloved Son.
Oh, how humble I am, dear Mary, when I see before me your Son in the tomb.
He gave His life so we may know freedom from sin.
Remind me always that any suffering in my life is passing, just as the suffering you experienced passed in the joy of the Resurrection.
Holy Mary, Mother of Sorrows, I mourn with you, knowing the certain joy of your Son and His gift of everlasting life.
Through this act of His, you have become our Mother of Consolation.
Amen.

Mary's Joy

	When you contemplate, in faith, Mary’s greatness and beatitude on the holy day of the resurrection of her Son, enter into her feelings of intense, pure and supernatural joy. This joy cannot distract the spirit or alter the purity of the heart. On the contrary, it unites us more intimately to God and increases his holy love in us, because its source comes from God himself and brings the hope to one day share the glory of Jesus, and ultimately it leads us to participate in Mary’s own joy. Therefore, unite yourselves with the divine Mother. Give thanks to Jesus Christ with Mary that she was allowed to share in the titles of honor that he received at his resurrection, which he could possibly communicate with her. Praise him especially for letting her share in his title of Father of times to come, by making her the true mother of all those who live in the divine life, which he wants to give only through her to all future generations. Jesus Christ did not rise up Lazarus from the dead until his sisters Martha and Mary had begged him with tears. He also wants you to ask Mary for the resurrection of the dead, still buried in the tomb of sin. They are her children and her joy will not be complete until she has seen them brought back to life. They are your brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ—you should therefore be moved by compassion on their behalf—turning to Mary, our common mother, and pray these words to her with perfect trust inspired by her powerful intercession with God and her infinite kindness for mankind. “Holy Mother of God, break our chains of guilt, give sight to the blind, remove all evil from our lives, and obtain all good things for your children.” Mr. Olier (1608-1657) The Virgin Mary's Interior Life Chp. XIII, The Mystery of the Ressurection of Our Lord