A PRICELESS DISCOVERY
Fr. J. Patrick Gaffney, SMM
O ne of the mysteries of God’s providence is the unexplained loss and the accidental finding of Saint Louis de Montfort’s manuscript, the True Devotion, or as he appears to have entitled it, The Preparation for the Reign of Jesus Christ.
Written probably about 1710, it was discovered only in 1842. [We are approaching] the 180th anniversary of the discovery of a text which the Church considers to be one of the great classics of spirituality. Its impact on the recent Popes, especially on John Paul II, can only be called amazing. It has given rise to religious communities, apostolic movements like the Legion of Mary. And has set the stage for the Consecration to Mary. Or better, the Consecration to the Eternal and Incarnate Wisdom through Mary.
Its effect on the personal lives of individuals like Mother Teresa, Frank Duff, Maximilian Kolbe is extraordinary. Many of the recently beatified and canonized saints attributed their perseverance in the divine life to the teachings of the True Devotion. This is a [joy] to be celebrated!
What makes this anniversary even more important is that Father de Montfort himself distinctly anticipated the destiny of his manuscript:
Fr. de Montfort’s Prophesy
“I clearly foresee that raging beasts will come in fury to tear to pieces with their diabolical teeth this little book and the one the Holy Spirit made use of to write it, or they will cause it at least to lie hidden in the darkness and silence of a chest and so prevent it from seeing the light of day.
They will even attack and persecute those who read it and put into practice what it contain. But no matter.! So much the better.! It even gives me encouragement to hope for great success at the prospect of a mighty legion of brave and valiant soldiers of Jesus and Mary, both men and women, Who will fight the devil, the world, and corrupt nature in the perilous times that are sure to come” (TD 114).
Why did God permit such an inspired manuscript to be lost and then to be found over one hundred and thirty years later? God’s providence does not permit us to know the why’s and the wherefores’. One thing is certain. The book is a treasure of the contemporary Church, a wealth not to be locked up between two covers. Rather, it is a book to be studied, prayed and integrated into the life-stream of the present-day Church. The constant praise of recent Supreme Pontiffs for this work is of it-self enough to persuade all to probe its riches.
Re-read True Devotion: Mary Will Point Out Something New
As we approach this anniversary year, the Queen encourages you and your friends to read and re-read the True Devotion. As the Montfort Missionaries constantly counsel, the work is to be read in conjunction with Saint Louis’ other writings, especially The Love of the Eternal Wisdom.
Another excellent way of celebrating this anniversary; some of our readers may want to initiate cenacles of prayer and study of the True Devotion. Many such cenacles already exist. When the late Cardinal 0’Connell was rector of the North American College in Rome, he him-self began such a study group. What a blessing it would be for the Church if such gatherings could be multiplied and found especially in seminaries and houses of formation.
Pray For The Company of Mary
May we also beg our readers— the extended family of the Montfort Missionaries—to intensify their prayers for vocations to our community, the inheritors and proclaimers of the radical demands of the Gospel as lived and preached by Saint Louis de Montfort. During this anniversary year of the discovery of the True Devotion, may God hear the ardent prayer of our founder:
Lord Jesus, give your Mother this new company so that you may renew all things through her. And bring the era of grace to a close through Mary, just as you began it through her . Create this bodyguard of hand-picked men mho will protect your house. [So they may] defend your glory and save the souls that are yours.
May this 180th anniversary year of the finding of the True Devotion be for all of us a renewal of our baptismal consecration to Christ Jesus, Son of Mary.
Editorial
From time to time, The Queen will republish Editorials or create new Editorials on various topics.
One thing is certain: the book is a treasure of the contemporary Church. A wealth not to be locked up between two covers. Rather, it is a book to be studied, prayed and integrated into the life-stream of the present-day Church. The constant praise of recent Supreme Pontiffs for this work is enough to persuade all to probe its riches.
Read more about this Great Discovery here.
