True Devotion to Mary
St. Louis De Montfort
"This Saint's teaching
has had a profound influence
on the Marian devotion
of many of the faithful
and on my own life."
(Blessed Pope John Paul II)
Blessed Pope John Paul II was well known during his papacy
for having a deep and abiding love for the Blessed Virgin Mary.
His devotion to Mary was evident in all that he did:
his words, his prayer life, his motto
and even his coat of arms,
were all dedicated to the Blessed Mother.
But how did he develop this life-long devotion to Mary?
In his book, Gift and Mystery,
Blessed Pope John Paul II credits his home parish and
the nearby Carmelites for their early influence.
However, as he matured in his faith, he singles out
one overwhelming influence which
changed his life:
"At one point I began to question my devotion to Mary,
believing that, if it became too great,
it might end up compromising the supremacy
of the worship owed to Christ.
At that time, I was greatly helped by a book
by Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort...
There I found the answers to my questions,
Yes, Mary does bring us closer to Christ;
she does lead us to him,
provided that we live her mystery in Christ...
The author was an outstanding theologian.
His Mariological thought is rooted
in the mystery of the Trinity and in the truth
of the Incarnation of the Word of God".
Blessed Pope John Paul II thought so highly
about the writing of St. Louis De Montfort,
that he spoke about the saint on many occasions.
In addition, on December 8, 2003, he wrote a special letter
on the occasion of the 160th Anniversary
of De Montfort's publication.
In this letter he wrote:
"I myself, in the years of my youth,
found reading this book a great help."
The book was such a great influence
that when he was elected Pope in 1978,
he chose his motto from words
written by St. Louis De Montfort.
"As is well known, (in) my episcopal coat of arms
... the motto Totus tuus is inspired by the teaching
of St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort.
These two words express total belonging to Jesus through Mary:
"Tuus totus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt."
("I am all Yours, and all that I have is Yours.")
Now available in a new edition,
this life-changing book
has a fresh look for a new generation of faithful readers.
This edition also includes an expanded
Preparation for Total Consecration
with readings and prayers,
as well as directions for how to pray
"The Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin Mary".
There is no better way to advance quickly in holiness,
no better way to please God,
and no better way to guarantee one's present sanctity
and eternal salvation
than the true devotion to Mary.
St. Louis De Montfort teaches us:
"Pray with great confidence,
with confidence based on the goodness
and infinite generosity of God
and upon the promises of Jesus Christ.
God is a spring of living water which flows
unceasingly into the hearts of those who pray."
***
"If you put all the love of all the mothers
into one heart
it still would not equal the love
of the Heart of Mary for her children."
***
"Mary is the fruitful Virgin,
and in all the souls in which she comes to dwell
she causes to flourish purity of heart and body,
rightness of intention
and abundance of good works.
Do not imagine that Mary,
the most fruitful of creatures
who gave birth to a God,
remains barren in a faithful soul.
It will be she who makes the soul
live incessantly for Jesus Christ,
and will make Jesus live in the soul."
***
"All our perfection consists in being conformed,
united and consecrated to Jesus Christ;
and therefore the most perfect of all devotions
is, without any doubt,
that which the most perfectly
conforms, unites, and consecrates us
to Jesus Christ.
Now Mary being the most conformed
of all creatures to Jesus Christ,
it follows that,
of all devotions that which most consecrates
and conforms the soul to Our Lord
is devotion to his holy Mother,
and the more a soul is consecrated to Mary,
the more it is consecrated to Jesus.
Hence it comes to pass that
the most perfect consecration to Jesus Christ
is nothing else than
a perfect and entire consecration of ourselves
to the Blessed Virgin."
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True Devotion to Mary
$11.95
Softcover
301 pages
Imprimi Potest
Nihil Obstat
Imprimatur
Translated from the original French by
Gather Frederick William Faber, D.D.
Order online now or call
1.866.522.8465
www.catholiccompany.com
About the author:
St. Louis De Montfort was a French priest who was born in 1673
and ordained at the age of 27. He wanted to be a missionary,
but instead spent his life traveling around western France preaching,
teaching, hearing confessions, rebuilding churches, and opening schools.
He encountered great resistance, and decided to walk
one thousand miles to Rome,
to seek council from the Pope as to his mission.
Pope Clement XI named him a Missionary Apostolic
and asked him to continue traveling and ministering to the people.
St. Louis De Montfort wrote several books, including:
The Secret of the Rosary and The Secret of Mary.
Table of Contents:
ABOUT ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT
ABOUT TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY
PREFACE BY CARDINAL O'CONNELL
FATHER FABER'S PREFACE
PART ONE
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Preliminary remarks by St. Louis De Montfort
CHAPTER ONE - Necessity of the Blessed Virgin and
of Devotion to Her
CHAPTER TWO - Fundamental Truths of Devotion
to the Blessed Virgin
CHAPTER THREE - Choice of True Devotion to the
Blessed Virgin
PART TWO
Perfect Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary or
Perfect Consecration to Jesus Christ
CHAPTER ONE - Nature of Perfect Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, or Perfect Consecration to
Jesus Christ
CHAPTER TWO - Motives of This Perfect Devotion
CHAPTER THREE - Wonderful Effects of This
Devotion
CHAPTER FOUR - Particular Practices of This Devotion
SUPPLEMENT
Preparation for Consecration to Jesus Through Mary
The Consecration
- The Day of Consecration
- The Act of Consecration
The Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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You may also be interested in this related set:
True Devotion to Mary &
Rosary & Divine Mercy Chaplet CD
Set on sale for $23.75
This discounted set includes:
True Devotion to Mary &
Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy (CD).
Items also sold separately.
Take the Rosary with you wherever you go with this handy Rosary and Divine Mercy CD.
This best-selling CD, recorded at the
National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, MA,
features recited versions of both
the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
The recitation of the Rosary includes
the Luminous Mysteries and is
approximately 23 minutes in length.
The recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy
includes powerful meditations on the Passion
from St. Faustina's diary and is
approximately 17 minutes in length.
Both tracks have background music by
Vinny Flynn and Still Waters.
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