In the Pursuit of WISDOM
Fr. James McMillan, SMM
In the Pursuit . . .
St. Louis de Montfort’s reason for composing his . . .
. . . Love of the Eternal Wisdom was to encourage his readers to “possess” Christ, to work for the presence of Christ within them, in accordance with the expression of St. Paul: “It is no longer I who live, it is Christ who lives in me.”
Now it is important to remember that this is not just a figure of speech. The presence of Christ within us is something real; it is not just a pious way of talking. As Christ Our Lord explained to His Apostles at the Last Supper: “If a man has any love for me, he will be true to my word; and then he will win my Father’s love, and we will both come to him, and make our continual abode with him.”
Montfort contrasts this possession of Divine Wisdom, Christ Himself, with what he calls “the wisdom of the world.” (Remember, though, that he speaks of “the wisdom of the world” in the Biblical sense of that much-misunderstood expression.) Worldly wisdom is anything that is opposed to Christ, anything that is at variance with the laws of God and the teaching of Our Divine Lord. There is direct opposition between the two. As Christ told us: “No man can serve two masters . . . You cannot serve God and Mammon,” that is, whatever is opposed to God and His laws.
. . . of WISDOM
“This worldly wisdom,” Montfort writes, “consists in the exact compliance with the maxims and fashions of the world; in a continuous trend toward greatness and esteem. It is a secret and unceasing pursuit of pleasures and personal interests in a secret, deceitful and scheming fashion . . . the worldly wise are those who, being guided only by their human senses and reason, seek only to appear as Christian and honest folk, without troubling much to please God or to do penance for the sins which they have committed against His divine Majesty.”
We can avoid this worldly wisdom, he explains, . . .
. . . by seeking a closer union with Christ. If we are united to Christ, possess Him within us, then we have the true and genuine wisdom Who is Christ Himself. He proposes four ways or means for obtaining this grace of possessing Christ.
Montfort Proposes Four Ways or Means for . . .
The first and the most fundamental means is an ardent desire to have Christ present in our minds and hearts and souls. This, he says, is “a great grace of God, because it is the reward of the faithful keeping of the commandments of God.”
The second means is prayer, and prayer that is persevering. We are dealing with what he calls a great grace, one that calls for constant prayer and petition. “Seek and you shall find,” as Christ told us, “knock and it shall be opened to you, ask and it shall be given to you.” Prayer, of course, is the usual channel by which God sends His gifts to us. And the greater the gift, the more ardent and persevering should be the prayer to obtain it. Divine Wisdom is not just any gift; it is the gift of Christ’s own presence within us.
Jesus Before the Doctors: Baptistry Church Door: Florence, Italy: late 1300s – early 1400s
Michelangelo, in witnessing this church, referred to the doors as fit to be the Gates of Paradise. The above picture is just one small panel on one of the doors. A black and white copy of this picture was utilized in the original publication.
“NO ONE BUT MARY HAS ever found grace with God for herself and for the whole human race. No one but Mary has had the power to conceive and give birth to Eternal Wisdom, and no one else has the power to bring Him to life, as it were, through the operation of the Holy Spirit in the souls of those chosen by Him.”
That one paragraph sums up very well the trend that will develop in his later works, especially in his True Devotion. It condenses his whole understanding of Our Lady’s role in the redemption of mankind, and her role in our own sanctification.
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A note from the Editor: Check the publication page to find an article on Wisdom in the Old Testament. To read a two-part series on Wisdom in the New Testament, use this link.
. . . Obtaining This Grace of Possessing Christ
The third means is what Montfort calls “universal mortification.” This is more than just penance for sins committed. It is a recognition of what Christ told us: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let Him take up his cross and follow Me.” It is an acceptance of the spiritual reality that only crucified members of the Body of Christ can belong to its crucified Head.
The fourth means, according to Montfort, is “the greatest means of all, and the most wonderful of all secrets for obtaining and keeping Divine Wisdom a tender and true devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.” He calls this the greatest and most wonderful means of all for the simple reason that if Mary speaks a word in our favor, if we love her, if we bear the mark of her faithful servants who do her will, we shall quickly and easily possess Divine Wisdom.”
In explaining this fourth means of obtaining Divine Wisdom, Montfort touches on a point that he will develop at greater length and depth in his more popular Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is one of those seminal ideas, something that one must ponder prayerfully in order to let it grow in our understanding.
Montfort’s View of Our Lady
“NO ONE BUT MARY HAS ever found grace with God for herself and for the whole human race. No one but Mary has had the power to conceive and give birth to Eternal Wisdom, and no one else has the power to bring Him to life, as it were, through the operation of the Holy Spirit in the souls of those chosen by Him.”
That one paragraph sums up very well the trend that will develop in his later works, especially in his True Devotion. It condenses his whole understanding of Our Lady’s role in the redemption of mankind, and her role in our own sanctification.
