Q&A: Saint Louis de Montfort’s writings are strong on the question of “perseverance” or at least it so appears to me. Sometimes when I read him I get the impression that he’s speaking to us Catholics 0f today and especially when he insists on persevering in the faith. Can you provides some of your thoughts?
Father J. Patrick Gaffney, SMM
Perseverance
Yes, the Father from Montfort really stresses the need for the gift of perseverance. Since perseverance is often difficult – whether in marriage or priesthood or religious life, or even perseverance in the faith itself – it is not very popular. Even belief and morality are often today based solely on “how do you feel about it?”
Some therefore think that even the truths of the faith depend on one’s feelings or on one’s own current ideas, and therefore change with one’s moods; no need then to “persevere.”
Montfort is calling us to consider not only how we feel about something, but primarily what faith tells us. If someone thinks/feels that murder is OK, that does not legitimize killing. If a person feels that Jesus – Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity – is not present in the Tabernacle, the truth of the Real Presence is not affected. Does feeling fed-up with the parish priest mean that the Catholic Church’s teachings are to be discarded?
Although our feelings have their ups and downs, although our prayer-life has its days of stunning lights and pitch-black darkness, truth itself does not and cannot change.
Persevering fidelity to the Lord and to His Body the Church, fidelity to our baptismal commitment, fidelity to our fundamental vocation is, Montfort insists, the fruit of devotion to Mary. In fact, perseverance in our basic commitment to the Truth Who is the Whole Christ is the greatest effect of living total consecration.
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