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Consecration Aids: 30: Nothing Without Her
Fr. Christopher Lee, SMM
Nothing Without Her
N OT so long ago I asked a young housewife, whom I met for the first time, if she knew about the
True Devotion. With the candor and simplicity characteristic of Our Lady’s slaves of love, she answered; ‘Yes, Father, I have practiced this devotion since I was a little girl. Mary is every thing to me. I never do anything without her. She’s my whole life, Father !” As she uttered these last words, her face lit up with a smile that would make the angels envious (if the angels could have cause for envy)!
Yes, here was a soul that had learned Fr. de Montfort’s ”Secret’’ from her youth and, obviously, had been faithful to it. ”I never do anything without her. She’s my whole life!” These seemingly exaggerated words bespoke volumes for True Devotion. If she meant what she said – and I have every reason to believe that she did – then she lived her Holy Slavery perfectly.
I’ve Given Everything Over to Her
To be Mary’s slave means to remember that I’ve given everything over to her. It means that I must never do anything without Mary. And this idea of ”never doing anything without Mary” is the very heart of Holy Slavery. The reason is: Holy Slavery means complete dependence on Jesus and Mary. It means to do their will (Jesus and Mary have but one and the same will), all day long.
And, speaking of Mary’s will, someone asked me one day: ”How am I to know what Mary’s will is? Will she appear to me and tell me what to do? Will she speak clearly enough for me to know God’s will at all times?”
The answer, of course, is that Mary speaks to a soul through the voice of his conscience, or through the inspirations of grace. Here one must be honest with himself and not try to foist upon Our Lady the selfish tendencies of his own whims and fancies.
Naturally, I’m not talking about you, dear Reader, when I say that there are times when a fellow’s voice can drown out the voice of Mary. I was one such when I first entered upon Holy Slavery. There were things I had been accustomed to do and say that were not quite what Mary wanted her slave of love to do and say. I would then try to hide behind the ”Fifth Amendment” of lawful pleasures. I would say: ”That is not sinful, therefore I can indulge in it at all times”!
But Mary did not let me get away with it for very long. She soon made her will quite clear to me on practically all occasions. It is true that there are yet times when I do make mistakes – that is, I mistake the voice of poor human nature for Mary’s voice – but this happens in small matters and it only serves to confirm what I have just said: Mary ordinarily makes her will quite clear to her slaves of love.
Author: Fr. Christopher Lee, SMM
This is the Thirtieth in a series of articles covering Consecration Aids.
This is the faculty Mary prizes most in me. That is why she is ever reminding me to do the will of her Son, Jesus. She never ceases to repeat these words she once spoke to the servants at Cana of Galilee; ”Do whatever He will tell you!”
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Mary Ordinarily Makes Her Will Quite Clear to Her Slaves of Love
Take for instance with respect to my body. She makes me understand that my body is no longer mine; that it has been consecrated to her and to her Divine Son. Consequently, she helps me avoid sin and its occasions; she teaches me to grant to my body the things that are necessary for its life and well-being, while, at the same time, she inspires me to keep it in subjection by voluntary penance and mortification, lest it rebel against the spirit.
In a word, Mary reminds me, from time to time, that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and that it is consecrated to her, the Virgin of virgins.
As for my soul, with its intelligence and will, Mary ever keeps before my eyes the words of my consecration : ”I deliver and consecrate to thee . . . my soul with all its faculties.”
One of the chief faculties of the soul is the will: that faculty by which a man can say yes or no to God Himself ! . . . that faculty by which a man can be a devil or a saint! This is the faculty God wants most of all in man, His creature; because once He becomes Master of a man’s will then He reigns supreme over his heart. But God has made man’s will free because He wants to be served freely and out of love.
This is the faculty Mary prizes most in me. That is why she is ever reminding me to do the will of her Son, Jesus. She never ceases to repeat these words she once spoke to the servants at Cana of Galilee: ”Do whatever He will tell you!”
And do you know that when you hear that command often enough, from the lips of God’s Mother, you just can’t help doing things God’s way … at least most of the time? Do you understand now why that young housewife, I referred to a while ago, was so right when she said: ”I never do anything without Mary. She’s my whole life!”
Why not try to practice True Devotion for yourself, dear Reader? Surely then your joy (and your smile) will make the angels envy you.
