Exterior Devotions To Mary

Exterior Devotions To Mary

“Although this devotion”, writes St. Louis de Montfort, . . .

. . . “is essentially an interior one, that does not prevent it from having exterior practices which should not be neglected.”

It was common for devotional writers of the time of Montfort to make this distinction between what they called “exterior practices” of devotion and ’interior practices.”

To the modern mind, the distinction is not too clear and not too easy to grasp.  It is what a logician would call an “inadequate distinction”.  Something like setting up a difference between a piece of pie and a whole pie. Or the difference of an automobile engine and the automobile itself.

Nevertheless, it was commonly assumed that devotional writers would list certain practices that they called “exterior”. And others that they classified as “interior”. The distinction is more for the sake for the author’s literary convenience (and for that of the reader as well) than for making a sharp division between the internal and the external.

Exterior Practices are Not Necessarily Seen by Others

Exterior practices are not necessarily those that can be seen and heard by others. They are not necessarily vocal prayers that you can hear someone else reciting. They refer more to the standard, set formula prayers and actions that have been traditionally accepted by the Church. Among them Montfort includes a period of preparation for making the act of consecration. The reciting of the Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin. The wearing of small chains. And, celebrating the Feast of the Incarnation on March 25th. Additionally, saying the Hail Mary, the Holy Rosary and the Magnificat. Lastly,the practicing what was known as “contempt of the world”.  (This latter simply means paying more attention to our spiritual development than to the pursuit of material things).

It is important to remember that with the exception of “contempt of the world” none of these practices are absolutely essential to the living of the Montfort consecration. They are certainly good and to be encouraged. They are to be considered as suggested practices by those who follow the Montfort consecration. And the experience of many people shows that they are indeed valuable.

Exterior Acts Help Foster Interior Acts

Montfort explains their value. “If properly performed, exterior acts help to foster interior ones. Man is always guided by his senses, and such practices remind him of what he has done or should do. Let no worlding or critic intervene to assert that true devotion is essentially in the heart and therefore externals should be avoided as inspiring vanity, or that real devotion should be hidden and private. I answer in the words of the Lord. ‘Let men see your good works that they may glorify your Father who is in heaven’ “.

Among the exterior practices that Montfort recommends, . . .

. . . the only one that could be considered peculiarly “Montfortian” is the period of preparation that he suggests for making the act of consecration. The others are prayers and practices that were fairly common in his day, and also our own. Many people recite the Little Crown, the Hail Mary, and the Holy Rosary. Many people wear a medal and chain and celebrate the Feast of Our Lord’s Incarnation. It is not necessary to have made the Montfortian Consecration to follow these practices.

But the preparation for the consecration is his own invention, so to speak. It illustrates what we would call the “inner workings” of his form of spirituality and gives a practical understanding of the whole complexus of Montfortian thought. And while, as was mentioned above, this period of preparation is not essential to the consecration, it nevertheless enables one to appreciate it a great deal better.

The Preparation for Consecration . . .

He suggests that we spend “the first twelve days in emptying ourselves of the spirit of the world, which is opposed to the spirit of Jesus”.  The best way to do this, of course, is to meditate on the meaning of our redemption, on the sacrifice of Our Lord and His Resurrection, on the command to love God and love our neighbor. It is also a time to reflect on our own sinfulness and the need for grace of God in our lives.

He then proposes a period of three weeks during which we should “imbue ourselves with the spirit of Jesus through the most Blessed Virgin”.  The first week is devoted to enlightenment about ourselves. It is a time to acquire knowledge of our sinfulness and sorrow for our transgressions. The second week calls especially for prayer to obtain a knowledge of our Blessed Lady. And, with a special invocation of the Holy Spirit in order to acquire this grace of knowledge of Our Lady. The third week concentrates particularly on Christ our Lord. Montfort recommends that we repeat such prayers as: “Lord, that I may know You” and “Lord, that I may see You”.

As can be seen, there is nothing very “exterior” about this one practice. It is more a manner of meditation and contemplation than it is our external manifestations of devotion. Still, it does bear out his general definition. “. . . exterior, not because they are performed without inner attention, but because they have an exterior element as distinct from those that are purely interior. The “exterior element” in this period of preparation is the set-formula prayers that he recommends, such as the litany of the Holy Spirit, the litany of the Holy Name, the Ave Maris Stella, and the litany of the Blessed Virgin.

. . . Is Particular to Montfortian Spirituality

It would certainly be of great value to all of us who have made the Montfort consecration to return to that period of preparation every now and then. After all, none of us can claim to be living up to what the consecration asks of us in the most perfect manner possible. We all have room for improvement. And going through the preparation occasionally would certainly give us a deeper understanding of what it means “To Jesus Through Mary” (Ad Jesum Per Mariam).