Preparation for Total Consecration · Day 22 of 33
Preparation for Total Consecration
according to St. Louis de Montfort
Day 22 of 33
Day 3 of the Second Week
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nos. 106–110, “Marks of authentic devotion to our Lady”
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.
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.
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.
Say the prayers: Prayers for the Second Week