Living Our Baptismal Commitment

Living Our . . .

When Our Holy Father [Pope John Paul II] wrote his Marian Year encyclical, . . .

. . . he not only intended to spell out for us the teachings of Vatican II concerning Mary’s unique role “in the mystery of Christ and of the Church”, he wanted to introduce us into a way of Christian life that is Mary-oriented, what he terms “Marian Spirituality”.  Here is how he put it.

“… following the line of the Second Vatican Council, I wish to emphasize the special presence of the Mother of God in the mystery of Christ and his Church. For this is a fundamental dimension emerging from the Mariology of the Council, the end of which is now more than twenty [now fifty +] years behind us. The Extraordinary Synod of Bishops held in 1985 exhorted everyone to follow faithfully
the teaching and guidelines of the Council. We can say that these two events – the Council and the Synod – embody what the Holy Spirit himself wishes ‘to say to the Church’ in the present phase of history“. (No. 48).

. . . Baptismal . . .

Pursuing this “fundamental dimension emerging” from the teachings of Vatican II, namely the special presence of Mary in the life of Christ and of His Church, the Holy Father wants us to raise our sights to the practical implications of this doctrine of faith for our life of faith.

“Here we speak,” he says, “not only of the doctrine of faith but also the life of faith; and thus of authentic ‘Marian Spirituality,’ seen in the light of Tradition, and especially the spirituality to which the Council exhorts us.”

Reflecting on this “authentic Marian Spirituality,” the Holy Father points out that “like its corresponding devotion, ‘Marian Spirituality’ finds a very rich source in the historical experience of individuals and of the various Christian communities present among the different peoples and nations of the world.“

. . . Commitment

At this point in his encyclical, Pope John Paul II singles out a Saint whose Marian spirituality, he once declared, had been “a turning point” in his own spiritual life, namely, St. Louis Marie de Montfort.

“In this regard,” he writes, “I would like to recall, among the many witnesses and teachers of this spirituality, the figure of St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, who proposes consecration to Christ through the hands of Mary, as an effective means for Christians to live faithfully their baptismal commitments.”

Yes, that is precisely what St. Louis de Montfort himself calls it; a perfect renewal of the vows of Baptism through the hands of Mary. In other words, the Montfort way of spiritual life, or Marian Spirituality, is rooted in the commitment we made to Christ in Baptism. The means proposed by St. Louis de Montfort is a close relationship with Mary; entered upon by a total consecration of ourselves to Christ with and through Mary. To quote the Saint himself: “… perfect consecration to Jesus is but a perfect and complete consecration of oneself to the Blessed Virgin, which is the devotion which I teach; or in other words, it is the perfect renewal of the vows and promises of holy baptism”. (True Devotion to Mary, No. 120).

Renewal of Baptismal Vows

In  Father de Montfort’s preaching ministry, baptism played an important, one might say central role.

He concluded all-his parish missions with a formal and public renewal of the baptismal vows. And when he wrote the “Rule” for his future missionaries he wrote:

“The purpose of these missions is to renew the spirit of Christianity among the faithful. Therefore, the missionaries will see to it that, as the Pope has commanded (referring to his personal interview with Pope Clement XI, 1706), the baptismal vows are renewed with the greatest solemnity. They are not to give absolution or communion to any penitent who has not first renewed his baptismal promises with the rest of the parishioners. Only those who have seen the results of this practice can appreciate its value.” (God alone, Collected Writings, p. 421, No. 50).

If you wonder why St. Louis de Montfort has based his Marian spirituality on the renewal of the Baptismal vows. Read what he has to say in his treatise on True Devotion to Mary, No. 127.

“ Men, says St. Thomas vow in baptism to renounce the devil and all his seductions. This vow, says St. Augustine, is the greatest and most indispensable of all vows. But does anyone keep this great vow? Does anyone fulfill the promises of baptism faithfully? Is it not true that nearly all Christians prove unfaithful to the promises made to Jesus in Baptism? Where does this universal failure come from, if not from man’s habitual forgetfulness of the promises and responsibilities of baptism and from the fact that scarcely anyone makes a personal ratification of the contract made with God through his sponsors?”

Preparation for . . .

As a spiritual son of St. Louis de Montfort, it has been my privledge to actively promote our founder’s Marian spirituality, first through formal teaching, then trough parish missions, Novenas, Triduum, seminars and retreat, but specially through the QUEEN Magazine. The method of course is by preparing people to make the Total Consecration to Jesus, Eternal and Incarnate Wisdom through the hands of Mary, following the procedure outlined by Fr. de Montfort himself in his True Devotion to Mary, numbers 227and 233.

“Those who desire to take up this special devotion should spend at least twelve days in emptying themselves of the spirit of the world, which is opposed to the spirit of Jesus.  They should spend three weeks imbuing themselves with the spirit of Jesus through the most Blessed Virgin.”

He then goes on to develop in greater detail the three weeks’ program alluded to above. First week: meditate and pray to acquire “knowledge of themselves and sorrow for their sins”.  Second week: Knowledge and better “understanding of the Blessed Virgin and ask the Holy Spirit for this grace”. Third week: “They should seek to understand Jesus Christ better.”

. . . Total Consecration

Practiced missionary that he is, St. Louis de Montfort accompanies you to the very day of your consecration when, he writes; “At the end of the three weeks they should go to Confession and Holy Communion with the intention of consecrating themselves to Jesus Through Mary as his slaves of love”.  He even suggests that on the day of your consecration, if you do not have a printed copy of the formula, you “should write it out or have it copied and then sign it on the very day you make it.”

Our Saint wants us to realize that this is arenewal. And it is a ratification of the contract we made with God on the day of our baptism. Like any contract it has value only once it has been signed and sealed, so to speak, even though the Montfort consecration does not bind us under pain of sin. It is a promise that we will strive to live it to the best of our ability. What more can we promise?

A Covenant With God

At the close of his missions, to impress upon his audiences the seriousness, not to say sacredness of this contract, St. Louis Marie had each member of the congregation come up and put his or her hand on the Bible. They did so as a pledge of his/ her intention of living out their Baptismal promises with and through Mary. Here is one of the formulas he composed; and which we Montforts use and adapt, at the close of our Retreats and parish missions. He entitled it

“A Covenant With God”

1. “I firmly believe all the truths of the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. “I renounce forever Satan, the world, sin and myself.
3. “With the help of God’s grace, which will never be wanting to me, I promise to keep faithfully all the commandments of God and of the Church; and avoid mortal sin and its occasions, especially bad company.
4. “I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ by the hands of Mary; to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life.
5. “I believe that if l keep these promises faithfully until death, I shall be eternally saved; but that I do not keep them, I will be eternally damned.

“In testimony of this I affix my signature.
Signed in the presence of the Church; in the parish of Pontchateau on this 4th day of May in the year 1709.”

L. M. de Montfort

By identifying his Total Consecration to Jesus Christ, Incarnate Wisdom, through the hands of Mary with “a perfect renewal of the vows of baptism”, St. Louis de Montfort has not only stressed the “Marian dimension of Christian life” alluded to by Pope John Paul II in his Marian Year encyclical (No. 45) but has established his Marian spirituality on a solid theological foundation, which is to help us live our baptismal commitment to the hilt.

Perfect Devotion is Indispensable for the One who Wishes to Give Himself Unreservedly to Christ

To quote Our Holy Father once again: “… this ‘perfect devotion’ is indispensable for the one who wishes to give himself unreservedly to Christ and to the work of the Redemption. Grignion de Montfort introduces us into the very heart of the mysteries on which our faith lives, and grows and bears fruit. The more my spiritual life was centered on the reality of the Redemption, the more abandoning myself to Mary, in the spirit of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, appeared to me to be the best way to share fully and effectively in the reality, in order to draw out for myself and to share with others its unspeakable benefits”.  (Do Not Be Afraid, by Andre Frossard, Conversations with John Paul II, 1982, pp. 184-188).

After such a testimony from the Vicar of Christ himself need anyone hesitate to enter upon this beautiful way of Marian Spirituality?