When we came back from Lourdes, I wanted my newfound love and real devotion for Mary and for Jesus through her to last forever. I wanted the experience i had to be somehow be perpetual.
I came across a list of great Catholic books, spiritual classics… and True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort jumped out at me. No doubt i had to read it. I devoured the book–one of best, most life-transforming books that i have read to this day. In it, St. Louis explains:
1. It was through the Blessed Virgin Mary that Jesus came into the world, and it is also through her that he must reign in the world.
The first part dwells on the necessity for devotion to Mary and what it consists of, the second outlines the perfect devotion–namely, complete consecration to Mary, consecration to Jesus through Mary.
120. 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.t
121. This devotion consists in giving oneself entirely to Mary in order to belong entirely to Jesus through her.
After reading this book I couldn’t help but give myself to her, body and soul, with all my material possessions present and future… and even my spiritual goods–virtues, merits and good works (past, present and future)! The Blessed Mother owns everything and offers it all to her Son. Nothing that i go through is ever wasted, she takes the spiritual value of all my actions and applies them to whomever she will—always according to the Will of God…because she is perfectly conformed it.
Jesus gave Himself totally to us through Mary so it only makes sense to give ourselves totally to Jesus through Mary!
St. Louis de Montfort breaks it all down. I recommend True Devotion to Mary to all my readers. Pope John Paul (the Great) took his Papal Motto: “Totus Tuus”, “I am all Yours” from this book.
St. Louis de Montfort (1673-1716) blazed through NW France as an Apostolic Preacher proclaiming the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and by spreading the knowledge of Mary and the Consecration to Jesus through her. I thank God for this great Saint! His feastday is April 28th.
St. Louis de Montfort, pray for us!