|
126. I have said that this devotion could rightly be called a
perfect renewal of the vows and promises of holy baptism.
Before baptism every Christian was a slave of the devil
because he belonged to him. At baptism he has either
personally or through his sponsors solemnly renounced Satan,
his seductions and his works. He has chosen Jesus as his
Master and sovereign Lord and undertaken to depend upon him as
a slave of love. This is what is done in the devotion I am
presenting to you. We renounce the devil, the world, sin and
self, as expressed in the act of consecration, and we give
ourselves entirely to Jesus through Mary. We even do something
more than at baptism, when ordinarily our god-parents speak
for us and we are given to Jesus only by proxy. In this
devotion we give ourselves personally and freely and we are
fully aware of what we are doing.
In holy baptism we do not give ourselves to Jesus
explicitly through Mary, nor do we give him the value of our
good actions. After baptism we remain entirely free either to
apply that value to anyone we wish or keep it for ourselves.
But by this consecration we give ourselves explicitly to Jesus
through Mary's hands and we include in our consecration the
value of all our actions.
127. "Men" says St. Thomas, "vow in baptism to renounce the
devil and all his seductions." "This vow," says St. Augustine,
"is the greatest and the most indispensable of all vows."
Canon Law experts say the same thing: "The vow we make at
baptism is the most important of all vows." But does anyone
keep this great vow? Does anyone fulfil the promises of
baptism faithfully? Is it not true that nearly all Christians
prove unfaithful to the promises made to Jesus in baptism?
Where does this universal failure come from, if not from man's
habitual forgetfulness of the promises and responsibilities of
baptism and from the fact that scarcely anyone makes a
personal ratification of the contract made with God through
his sponsors?
128. This is so true that the Council of Sens, convened by
order of the Emperor Louis the Debonair to remedy the grave
disorders of Christendom, came to the conclusion that the main
cause of this moral breakdown was man's forgetfulness of his
baptismal obligations and his disregard for them. It could
suggest no better way of remedying this great evil than to
encourage all Christians to renew the promises and vows of
baptism.
129. The Catechism of the Council of Trent, faithful
interpreter of that holy Council, exhorts priests to do the
same and to encourage the faithful to remember and hold fast
to the belief that they are bound and consecrated as slaves to
Jesus, their Redeemer and Lord. "The parish priest shall
exhort the faithful never to lose sight of the fact that they
are bound in conscience to dedicate and consecrate themselves
for ever to their Lord and Redeemer as his slaves."
130. Now the Councils, the Fathers of the Church and
experience itself, all indicate that the best remedy for the
frequent lapses of Christians is to remind them of the
responsibilities of their baptism and have them renew the vows
they made at that time. Is it not reasonable therefore to do
this in our day and in a perfect manner by adopting this
devotion with its consecration to our Lord through his Blessed
Mother? I say "in a perfect manner", for in making this
consecration to Jesus they are adopting the perfect means of
giving themselves to him, which is the most Blessed Virgin
Mary.
131. No one can object that this devotion is novel or of no
value. It is not new, since the Councils, the Fathers of the
Church, and many authors both past and present, speak of
consecration to our Lord or renewal of baptismal vows as
something going back to ancient times and recommended to all
the faithful. Nor is it valueless, since the chief source of
moral disorders and the consequent eternal loss of Christians
spring from the forgetfulness of this practice and
indifference to it.
132. Some may object that this devotion makes us powerless to
help the souls of our relatives, friends and benefactors,
since it requires us to give our Lord, through Mary, the value
of our good works, prayers, penances, and alms-giving.
To them I reply:
(1) It is inconceivable that our friends, relatives and
benefactors should suffer any loss because we have dedicated
and consecrated ourselves unconditionally to the service of
Jesus and Mary; it would be an affront to the power and
goodness of Jesus and Mary who will surely come to the aid of
our relatives, friends and benefactors whether from our meagre
spiritual assets or from other sources.
(2) This devotion does not prevent us from praying for
others, both the living and the dead, even though the
application of our good works depends on the will of our
Blessed Lady. On the contrary, it will make us pray with even
greater confidence. Imagine a rich man, who, wanting to show
his esteem for a great prince, gives his entire fortune to
him. Would not that man have greater confidence in asking the
prince to help one of his friends who needed assistance?
Indeed the prince would only be too happy to have such an
opportunity of proving his gratitude to one who had sacrificed
all that he possessed to enrich him, thereby impoverishing
himself to do him honour. The same must be said of our Lord
and our Lady. They will never allow themselves to be outdone
in gratitude.
133. Some may say, perhaps, if I give our Lady the full value
of my actions to apply it to whom she wills, I may have to
suffer a long time in purgatory. This objection, which arises
from self-love and from an unawareness of the generosity of
God and his holy Mother, refutes itself.
Take a fervent and generous soul who values God's
interests more than his own. He gives God all he has without
reserve till he can give no more. He desires only that the
glory and the kingdom of Jesus may come through his Mother,
and he does all he can to bring this about. Will this generous
and unselfish soul, I ask, be punished more in the next world
for having been more generous and unselfish than other people?
Far from it! For we shall see later that our Lord and his
Mother will prove most generous to such a soul with gifts of
nature, grace and glory in this life and in the next.
134. We must now consider as briefly as possible:
- The
motives which commend this devotion to us,
- the wonderful
effects it produces in faithful souls, and
- the practices
of this devotion.
|