Trusting in Jesus and Mary

Trusting in Jesus and Mary

ST.  Louis de Montfort called his form of consecration . . .

. . . to Jesus through Mary “a perfect renewal of the vows and promises of baptism.”

As was pointed out in a previous article (link), this renewal can be called perfect for two reasons. First, it is as complete as a human being can make it. And second, because this renewal uses the most perfect of all means to draw us closer to Christ, namely the Blessed Virgin Mary.

From the point of view of completeness, we must note that we give everything To Jesus Through Mary; our body and soul with all of our ability and talent, whatever material possessions we own, and, above all, the spiritual value of all of our prayers and good works. This latter may call for some explanation.

The Spiritual Value of All of Our Prayers and Good Works

All of our prayers and good works have the following effects. They merit the grace and blessing of God. They satisfy for past sins. And, in a way, they incline God to be favorable to us in answering our prayers.

Now this, of course, is a human way of speaking. It is a human way of attempting to grasp the reality of grace and merit. And it is a way to grasp the consequences of our good works. It is important to remember that God and our Blessed Mother do not treat us as though they were some sort of heavenly bankers.

This is not a question of strict give and take, but again, only an effort on our part to understand the workings of God’s grace within us. We know that God rewards us for our good actions; that we can merit His love and His favor. We can, in fact, pile up for ourselves treasure in heaven. But, once more, this is a vague human way of expressing a supernatural truth, a manner of speaking that remains inexact. It is only an approximation of the spiritual reality, not a definite statement of fact.

THIS over-literal way of looking at the results of our prayers . . .

. . . and good works is what sometimes causes people to wonder if they are leaving themselves spiritually destitute as a result of the Montfort consecration. They are afraid that they cannot pray for themselves, for their friends and relatives, for the souls in Purgatory. They assume that God and our Blessed Lady will take away all their merit, all the value of their good actions and give them to someone else. Basically, as has already been noted, the difficulty arises from a lack of trust in the goodness and generosity of Christ and Our Lady.

This Form of Consecration Draws Us Closer to Christ and Our Lady

We need have no fear that we, our friends and relatives, the souls in Purgatory, will lose anything at all by being generous with God.

On the contrary, as Montfort explains, this form of consecration leaves us better off than we were before. It draws us closer to Christ and Our Lady and gives our prayers and good works even greater value.

First, Montfort points out, since we make this offering through the hands of Our Lady, she undoubtedly purifies our prayers and good works, cleansing them of all trace of pride and self-love. We are all affected by the results of original sin, and none of our works are as good as they should be. Giving them to Christ through Our Lady certainly enhances their value enormously.

Secondly, he says, the Blessed Virgin embellishes our good works with her own merits and virtues. Montfort puts it this way.  “It is as though a peasant, wishing to gain the friendship and benevolence of the king, went to the queen and presented her with an apple, all that he has, so that she might present it to the king”.  He goes on to explain how the queen would put the apple on a golden dish, after removing all the impurities, and offer it to the king in a manner that would leave him loath to refuse the simple offering.

The Blessed Virgin . . .

OUR prayers and good works, then, are certainly enhanced and embellished by giving them to Christ through the Blessed Virgin.

We are in a far better position to assist others with our prayers, for the simple reason that our prayers are now purified and made more attractive to Christ. And since they are more attractive, they are definitely more effective.

This is why Montfort stresses the point that his form of consecration is an excellent way of loving our neighbor. This, he claims, is practicing Christian charity in an eminent manner, “since one gives, through the hands of Mary, everything that we hold dear, that is, the satisfactory and impetratory value of all our works, without excepting even the smallest thought and the least bit of suffering. We agree that everything we have acquired or will acquire, until death, of spiritual value, will be, according to the will of the Blessed Virgin, used for the conversion of sinners and for the deliverance of the souls in Purgatory.”

. . . Embellishes Our Good Works

Montfort also maintains that his form of consecration is an admirable way of persevering in grace and virtue. How is it, he asks, that so many converted sinners lapse once again into their evil ways? Why so many good and well-meaning people have difficulty maintaining their virtue? Why so many of us do not advance in grace as we should? The reason, he says, is that we are inclined to trust too much in our own strength and ability instead of putting our trust in the Blessed Virgin and letting her supplement our inborn weakness.

In this devotion, we rely on the goodness, the power and the fidelity of the Mother of God herself. “It is on her fidelity that we rely, on her power that we lean, on her mercy and love that we depend, in order to hold on to and augment our virtues and merits, in spite of the world, the flesh and the devil.”

Of course, this form of consecration calls for sacrifice and generosity. It certainly demands that we have complete trust in the goodness and mercy of Christ and Our Lady. But the results of this consecration, as experience teaches us, are far beyond the little good
that we would derive by depending totally upon our own fidelity and strength.