Saturday, December 11, 2004

True devotion to Our Blessed Mother

First type of devotion

  • fulfilling your Christian duties
  • avoiding mortal sin
  • acting more out of love than fear
  • praying to Our Lady every now and then
  • honoring her as Mother of God
  • no special devotion to her in particular

Second type of devotion

  • more perfect feelings of esteem and love, of confidence and veneration for Our Lady
  • join Confraternities of the Holy Rosary and of the Scapular
  • recite five or fifteen decades of the Holy Rosary
  • honor Mary's images and altars
  • publish her praises and enroll in sodalities

Third type of devotion

  • giving one's self entirely and as a slave to Mary, and to Jesus through Mary
  • do all that you do through Mary, with Mary, in Mary and for Mary
  • choose a special feast day on which you give, consecrate and sacrifice to Mary, voluntarily, lovingly and without restraint, entirely and without reserve... + EVERYTHING YOU HAVE AND EVERYTHING YOU ARE +

Dear soul, which devotion do you choose? For all that she has done for you, she deserves far much more than you can ever offer, but she so gladly accepts even just one Hail Mary uttered with great sincerity. This devotion, however, is not meant to give her glory...that is not her intent. She wants to lead you closer to the heart of Christ. She wants to give you more of her Son...more of the graces that await you as you grow in knowledge of the actions of the Holy Spirit in her life. Mary desires to show you the Way, the Truth, and the Life because she knows more than anyone what joy fills a heart in love with God. Yet this joy is not complete until it is shared, as you have come to learn recently. So seek with all your being - mind, body, and soul - to allow your devotion to Mary and to any of the other saints to transform your heart into the heart of a servant...humble, obedient, kind, patient, accepting, forgiving, generous, without expectation. Only then will you have the fullness of joy...of life...of love.


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