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2. Marks of authentic devotion to our Lady 105. After
having explained and condemned false devotions to
the Blessed Virgin we shall now briefly describe what true
devotion is. It is interior, trustful, holy, constant and
disinterested.
106. First, true devotion to our Lady is interior, that is, it
comes from within the mind and the heart and follows from the
esteem in which we hold her, the high regard we have for her
greatness, and the love we bear her.
107. Second, it is trustful, that is to say, it fills us with
confidence in the Blessed Virgin, the confidence that a child
has for its loving Mother. It prompts us to go to her in every
need of body and soul with great simplicity, trust and
affection. We implore our Mother's help always, everywhere,
and for everything. We pray to her to be enlightened in our
doubts, to be put back on the right path when we go astray, to
be protected when we are tempted, to be strengthened when we
are weakening, to be lifted up when we fall into sin, to be
encouraged when we are losing heart, to be rid of our
scruples, to be consoled in the trials, crosses and
disappointments of life. Finally, in all our afflictions of
body and soul, we naturally turn to Mary for help, with never
a fear of importuning her or displeasing our Lord.
108. Third, true devotion to our Lady is holy, that is, it
leads us to avoid sin and to imitate the virtues of Mary. Her
ten principal virtues are: deep humility, lively faith, blind
obedience, unceasing prayer, constant self-denial, surpassing
purity, ardent love, heroic patience, angelic kindness, and
heavenly wisdom.
109. Fourth, true devotion to our Lady is constant. It
strengthens us in our desire to do good and prevents us from
giving up our devotional practices too easily. It gives us the
courage to oppose the fashions and maxims of the world, the
vexations and unruly inclinations of the flesh and the
temptations of the devil. Thus a person truly devoted to our
Blessed Lady is not changeable, fretful, scrupulous or timid.
We do not say however that such a person never sins or that
his sensible feelings of devotion never change. When he has
fallen, he stretches out his hand to his Blessed Mother and
rises again. If he loses all taste and feeling for devotion,
he is not at all upset because a good and faithful servant of
Mary is guided in his life by faith in Jesus and Mary, and not
by feelings.
110. Fifth, true devotion to Mary is disinterested. It
inspires us to seek God alone in his Blessed Mother and not
ourselves. The true subject of Mary does not serve his
illustrious Queen for selfish gain. He does not serve her for
temporal or eternal well-being but simply and solely because
she has the right to be served and God alone in her. He loves
her not so much because she is good to him or because he
expects something from her, but simply because she is lovable.
That is why he loves and serves her just as faithfully in
weariness and dryness of soul as in sweet and sensible
fervour. He loves her as much on Calvary as at Cana. How
pleasing and precious in the sight of God and his holy Mother
must these servants of Mary be, who serve her without any
self-seeking. How rare they are nowadays! It is to increase
their number that I have taken up my pen to write down what I
have been teaching with success both publicly and in private
in my missions for many years.
111. I have already said many things about the Blessed Virgin
and, as I am trying to fashion a true servant of Mary and a
true disciple of Jesus, I have still a great deal to say,
although through ignorance, inability, and lack of time, I
shall leave infinitely more unsaid.
112. But my labour will be well rewarded if this little book
falls into the hands of a noble soul, a child of God and of
Mary, born not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor of the
will of man. My time will be well spent if, by the grace of
the Holy Spirit, after having read this book he is convinced
of the supreme value of the solid devotion to Mary I am about
to describe. If I thought that my guilty blood could help the
reader to accept in his heart the truths that I set down in
honour of my dear Mother and Queen, I, her most unworthy child
and slave, would use it instead of ink to write these words. I
would hope to find faithful souls who, by their perseverance
in the devotion I teach, will repay her for the loss she has
suffered through my ingratitude and infidelity.
113. I feel more than ever inspired to believe and expect the
complete fulfilment of the desire that is deeply engraved on
my heart and what I have prayed to God for over many years,
namely, that in the near or distant future the Blessed Virgin
will have more children, servants and slaves of love than ever
before, and that through them Jesus, my dear Lord, will reign
more than ever in the hearts of men.
114. I clearly foresee that raging beasts will come in fury to
tear to pieces with their diabolical teeth this little book
and the one the Holy Spirit made use of to write it, or they
will cause it at least to lie hidden in the darkness and
silence of a chest and so prevent it from seeing the light of
day. They will even attack and persecute those who read it and
put into practice what it contains. But no matter! So much the
better! It even gives me encouragement to hope for great
success at the prospect of a mighty legion of brave and
valiant soldiers of Jesus and Mary, both men and women, who
will fight the devil, the world, and corrupt nature in the
perilous times that are sure to come.
"Let the reader understand. Let him accept this teaching
who can." |