Devotion to Mary: A Necessary Devotion? Part II
For those called to a higher degree of Perfection
Fr. Victor Devy, SMM
“I f Devotion to the most holy Virgin is necessary to all men, simply for working out their salvation, it is more so for those who are called to any special perfection, and I do not think anyone can acquire an intimate union with Our Lord and a perfect fidelity to the Holy Spirit , without a very great union with the most holy Virgin and a great dependence on her assistance.” (T.D. No. 43)
The above assertion, which is at once striking and precise, opens to our view a very important angle of Mary’s mediation, namely, the more or less imperative necessity of personal devotion to the Mother of God for salvation and for Christian perfection; for the grace of a happy death as well as the grace of a holy life.
With St. Louis Mary de Montfort and St. Alphonsus, many other theologians have long since upheld and substantiated this doctrine. It stands out as a consequence of God’s own free will concerning the application of all the fruits of redemption. Thus, what was acknowledged and manifested through Christian piety down through the centuries is now explicitly taught as being a natural consequence of Mary’s spiritual maternity. All Christians must perforce take notice.
Purposely do we say, “All Christians.” Some might be tempted to consider the grace of final perseverance as the end of their devotion. Quick would they be to declare, misunderstanding true humility, that they do not feel themselves called to such high perfection and that they would readily be satisfied with a minimum of effort here below and a minimum of glory in heaven above.
Although it is not our intention to stress this point, we think it well to remind such people that it is a very dangerous thing to try and draw the conditions and limits of one’s salvation. It is far from being a good disposition to obtain God’s grace. Moreover, for many, salvation is inseparable from a certain degree of perfection, or at least an attempt to reach it. As His Holiness, Pope Pius XI, recalled in his encyclical on St. Francis De Sales, in 1923, the duty to seek after perfection is the law of Christian life. “Every Christian, without exception,” he wrote, ”is subject to this law.”
Madonna and Child and Saints: Filippino Lippi: 1490-1493
This painting resides in Florence, Italy.
This is the second and final article in this series. The first article may be found here.
As His Holiness, Pope Pius XI, recalled in his encyclical…, the duty to seek after perfection is the law of Christian life. “Every Christian, without exception,” he wrote, ”is subject to this law.”
Things would be simplified immensely if we could get everyone to understand that devotion to Mary, far from being an added burden, is but a powerful help in carrying out this law of Christian perfection; far from being reserved to a few privileged souls, is a “fundamental element” in Christian life. (The expression is taken from Pius XII’s radio-message to the National Congress of Argentina, 1947. )
To grasp the full importance of this truth, it might be well for us to examine closely what devotion and what type of necessity is considered indispensable to reach that perfection which, in God’s plan, is the goal of Christian life. Only in this way shall we understand how the Church can apply to Mary what Scripture says literally of Divine Wisdom: “He that shall find me shall find life and shall have salvation from the Lord,” (Prov. 8:35)
True Devotion to Mary naturally excludes what one may term the false devotions to Mary, such as, exterior or hypocritical or presumptuous devotions, etc., which are but counterfeits of true piety. [Editors Note: To understand more about the False Devotion to Mary, listen to this Spiritual Insights audio.] On the other hand, to be efficacious, true devotion does not require (at least generally speaking), those special religious practices or those multiple expressions of piety approved by the Church, unless one be already bound to them by his state in life or otherwise, such as, the Mass or the Divine Office. Nor does St. Louis Mary wish to claim that the consecration of Holy Slavery is indispensable. He states very expressly that many saints have attained glory without using this method. But he does insist on this, namely, that they all had a true devotion to Mary, the Mother of God. (T.D. No. 152)
He then goes on to say that, “The greatest saints, the souls richest in graces and virtues, shall be the most assiduous in praying to our Blessed Lady, and in having her always present as their perfect model for imitation and their powerful aid for help.” (T.D. No. 46) These last words indicate the practical conditions for a true devotion to Mary. They likewise open to us limitless vistas of fervor in spiritual life.
It is interesting to note that although the manifestations of the cult and devotion to Mary are as various as they are numerous, they all nevertheless have a common source in Christian hearts: the filial acknowledgment of her eminent dignity as Mother of God and all its ensuing prerogatives. Since God has raised her above all other saints, the worship that is due to her is called the cult of hyperdulia. Certain prayers and practices of devotion have a rather limited scope; others, as those of the Church in general, contain all that is required to honor her fully.
One may, for example, express veneration for the excellence of her virtues; gratitude for her gifts; love for her goodness and perfections; prayer for the limitless power of her intercession; obedience and service for her royal maternity; and lastly, what may truly be called the practical seal of a sincere devotion, the imitation of her virtues and of her spirit in order thereby to acquire the virtues and the spirit of Jesus Christ.
A true devotion, worthy of such a name, must not be limited to the simple recognition of her grandeurs: it must be ever ready to devote itself, to consecrate itself to Mary’s service. In this perspective of perfect service, souls will find ample field for their piety. This eagle-like soaring of the human will in quest of perfection places these souls in the required conditions for Mary to accomplish her mission, which is precisely to transform them into the likeness of Christ.
It would certainly not be rendering full justice to the scope of her spiritual maternity to restrict it, in practice, to the salvation of sinners. Mary has another mission to accomplish besides rescuing the wrecks of humanity and saving the so-called “hopeless” cases. Assuredly, this is part of her role, but it is neither the highest nor the most important.
Granted that she is the Refuge of Sinners, she is also the Mother of the Living and the Queen of Saints. With her divine Son, she wishes to give life eternal and give it abundantly. (John, 10: 10)
May one say, then, that a true and entire devotion to Mary is indispensable to reach that intimate union with Our Lord, which is the goal of spiritual life? May one say that this otherwise commendable devotion has a certain character of relative necessity, at least for souls that are enlightened enough to know its foundations and scope?
A means is considered as necessary or indispensable when the end we have in view cannot be reached without it, or at least cannot be attained with the same facility and perfection. (Summa IIIa, LXV, 3) Truly, such is the case with respect to devotion to Mary, in the actual order freely willed by God’s Providence, for souls in quest of perfection and sufficiently enlightened to realize that all graces come to us through Mary. We must unavoidably revert to this fact that for our transformation into Christ an abundant grace is necessary. This necessity becomes all the more imperative as one’s vocation to sanctity is higher. Now the Blessed Virgin, by her all powerful intercession, is at the very source of all the graces merited by redemption. A true and entire devotion is, therefore, indispensable for souls if they wish to obtain God’s graces and place themselves generously at the disposition of their heavenly Queen that she may transform them into the likeness of her divine Son.
If anyone pretended to seek after perfection and, at the same time – which would be difficult to imagine – pretended to refuse Mary the honor, prayer, imitation and obedience which are her due, that soul would assuredly place itself outside the paths of grace and holiness.
If all mothers could bring about those things they dream for in the lives of their children, decidedly our world would be much better off than it is. We know that these dreams are but seldom realized. And why? It is not that our mothers are lacking in love and devotion: not only do they give life but they also consecrate themselves to its full growth and perfection insofar as their strength and means will allow. But their resources and their influence are not infinite, they are limited. More-over, they do not meet, either in their children or in their environment, with the required cooperation. And thus is brought about the spectacle that we are witnessing in our world today, and which we shall doubtless witness in the world of tomorrow: beautiful but shattered dreams!
Things are somewhat similar in the supernatural order. The Blessed Virgin Mary, our spiritual mother, has great expectations for all her children: to transform them into the likeness of her Jesus. To fulfill her ardent desire, God has granted her a limitless power and influence. But, alas, she too meets with too much resistance, too much indifference on the part of her children. That explains why their spiritual future is only too often a failure. A sincere and generous devotion would render sanctification easier for them. Prayer, imitation, love, all these would lead them to a full surrender of self into the hands of Mary and a rapid growth in that life which Christ came to bring to this earth of ours.
Thus, the soul would “advance from virtue to virtue, from grace to grace, from light to light, until he arrives at the transformation of himself into Jesus Christ, and to the plenitude of His age on earth, and of His glory in heaven.” (T.D. No. 119)
The End
