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Seven Wonderful Effects of Devotion to
Mary
Introduction
In his book, "The True Devotion to Mary", St. Louis-Marie de
Montfort writes about seven wonderful effects that the faithful
practice of devotion to Mary can produce in the soul. These
seven wonderful effects upon the soul are:
- knowledge of our unworthiness
- a share in Mary's faith
- the gift of pure love
- great confidence in God and in Mary
- communication of the spirit of Mary
- transformation into the likeness of Jesus
- the greater glory of Christ
Knowledge of our unworthiness
In our devotion to Mary, we receive the light from the Holy Spirit
that will help us see our evil inclinations and the knowledge that
we are incapable of any good apart from that which God produces in
us as our Creator. This knowledge will also lead us to see how
unworthy we are and how much we are sinful and destructive. In
the spiritual language of the 18th century used by St. Louis-Marie,
he says: "you will despise yourself and think of yourself as a
snail that soils everything with its slime, as a toad that poisons
everything with its venom, as a malevolent serpent seeking only
to deceive". He goes on to say that despite regarding ourselves
unworthily, the humble Virgin Mary shall share her humility with
us so that we will not look down slightingly upon anyone.
[True Devotion #213]
A share in Mary's faith
Practicing devotion to Mary, we have the privilege of Mary sharing
her faith with us. Mary's faith is strong. According to Montfort,
her faith is "stronger than that of all the patriarchs, prophets,
apostles and saints". The more we gain the friendship of Mary
in our devotion to her, the more we will be inspired by her faith
in our daily life. It will help us be less dependent on feelings
of spiritual consolation, especially extraordinary ones. The faith
that Mary shares and inspires in us is a lively faith, a firm faith,
an active faith, a probing faith, and a courageous faith, that
will lead us to undertake or carry out without hesitation God's
will: the salvation of our souls and that of others as well. Mary's
faith is an all-powerful weapon against darkness and death. It is
a faith which will strengthen us to resist the Evil One and the
other enemies of our salvation. [True Devotion #214]
The gift of pure love
Devoting ourselves to Mary, she will help rid our hearts of all
scruples and excessive servile fear. She will fill our hearts with
pure love of which she herself is the treasury. Instead of a
relationship of servile fear to God's judgment, Mary shall help us
see that God is a loving Father whom we are called to please
at all times. The gift of pure love will help us speak in prayer
to Him very trustfully as a child does to his Father. Whenever
we fail to please God, all we need to do is to humbly beg His
pardon, repent, and rise from our sin to enjoy His favor once
more. In this peaceful, relaxed and uplifted state, with much
hope, we continue in our journey to Him as our Father.
[True Devotion #215]
Great confidence in God and in Mary
Once we faithfully devote ourselves to the holy Mother of God,
she will fill us with unbounded confidence in God and in herself.
The more we give ourselves to Jesus through her, the more she
will impart to us her virtues and clothe us in her own merits.
The more we increase our confidence in her and give her in
trust all that we are and possess, the less we shall trust
in ourselves and much more in her whom we have made the very
treasury of our life. Mary is God's "treasury" - where He
has placed all that He holds most precious. When we make Mary -
"the treasury of the Lord" - also our treasure, we will eventually be weaned
from all earthly pleasures and rest on her as the treasure
wherein all good things will come to us. [True Devotion #216]
Communication of the spirit of Mary
When we devote ourselves fully to Mary, her soul will be communicated
to us to glorify the Lord. When the spirit of Mary is communicated
in us, she will be enthroned in our hearts and subject our hearts
to the dominion of Jesus. When this wonderful effect happens in
our soul, wonderful things will also happen. As the Holy Spirit
finds Mary present in our souls, He will come down into us with
great power. The Spirit will fill our souls with His gifts, especially
with wisdom, and produce a manifold of graces in us. This wonderful
effect will dawn upon us only when we have understood well the true
devotion to Mary and put it into practice. Knowing well this,
St. Ambrose exclaims, "May the soul of Mary be in each one of
us to glorify the Lord! May the spirit of Mary be in each one of
us to rejoice in God!" [True Devotion #217]
Transformation into the likeness of Jesus
The more we practice faithfully devotion to Mary, the more in time
she will be well cultivated in our soul as God's "Tree of Life".
Eventually, being present in our soul, she will in due time bring
forth her fruit which is none other than Christ Jesus our Lord.
Montfort says that other souls often work hard in gaining Christ
in their lives but find nothing. Though how much they try, Jesus
is hardly recognizable in them. Montfort tells us that if we follow
the immaculate path of Mary and live the devotion he teaches, she
will be a holy place, a "mold", in which our sanctity shall be
realized. There is a difference between carving a statue by
hammer and chisel and making a statue by using a mold. The first
method takes more effort and time; the second is easier and faster.
St. Augustine calls Mary the "mold of God". She is capable in
forming us into the likeness of Christ faster, for as she formed Christ
in her, so shall she form Christ in us. [True Devotion #218-221]
The greater glory of Christ
When this devotion is lived sincerely, we can give glory to Christ
faster than other demanding devotions which may take many years.
As we give ourselves more to Mary, we lay aside our own intentions
and make Mary's intentions our own - possessing thus the high
quality and purity of her intentions which give much glory to God.
Montfort tells us how much she gives glory to God: "more...than
all the angels and saints have given or will ever give Him".
We can give greater glory to God if we are content to rely on
Mary's dispositions, for perfect glory is given to God only by
the lowly and humble of heart. And such is Mary. She is
an echo of God, speaking and repeating only God. If you say
"Mary" she says "God". When St. Elizabeth praised Mary and
called her blessed because she had believed, Mary said,
"My soul glorifies the Lord". [True Devotion #222-225]
Summary
Mary holds a special place in the history of salvation. She is
not God, but she is greater than the angels, the apostles and the saints. Her
special title as Theotokos, the Mother of God, is a title
many saints have supported and had approved in an ecumenical
council. Her appeal towards many Catholics of all cultures around
the world is so great that she is understood easily and well by both farmer
and king. Devotion to Mary is not given to all. It is a gift
from God. But it is a gift that we can pray for and be strengthened
in, especially in times of difficulty, trouble, strife, conflict and
problems. Her message has always been, "Do whatever He [Christ] tells you"
(John 2:5). If we practice well the devotion to her as taught by St. Louis-Marie
de Montfort and by many other saints, we are assured of the wonderful
effects upon our soul that this devotion can obtain for us.
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