3.2 Response
STAGE 3: In Communion with Mary
MARY AND CHRIST
THE DISCIPLE’S WAY
RESPONSE
Aim: To personally respond to the “basic truths” illustrating the importance of Mary in our journey to Christ.
Reading
Mary’s part in our times (TD 49): “The salvation of the world began through Mary and through her it must be accomplished. Mary scarcely appeared in the first coming of Jesus Christ so that people, as yet insufficiently instructed and enlightened concerning the person of her Son, might not wander from the truth by becoming too strongly attached to her. […] But in the second coming of Jesus Christ, Mary must be known and openly revealed by the Holy Spirit so that Jesus may be known, loved and served through her”.
Comment
Montfort outlines five truths that “throw light on the remarkable and sound devotion” which he proposes.
The first truth is that Christ must be the ultimate end of all devotions. “Jesus, our Saviour, true God and true man must be the ultimate end of all our other devotions; otherwise they would be false and misleading. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and end of everything” (TD 61). Consequently, if we intend to establish a sound devotion to Mary, “it is only in order to establish devotion to our Lord more perfectly” (TD 62).
The second truth is that, “through Baptism, we are fully grafted in Christ not as hired servants but as willing slaves who, moved by generous love, commit themselves fully to his service for the honour of belonging to him” (TD 73). And since Mary is the “inseparable associate of Jesus”, she has been “given by grace all the same rights and privileges that Jesus possesses by nature”. Consequently, we are to be willing slaves in Mary just as we are in Jesus (cf. 74).
The third truth is that “our best actions are usually tainted and spoiled by the evil that is rooted in us” (TD 78). We are to become aware of this reality and place ourselves in a state of “daily dying to ourselves”. At the same time, in order to assure authenticity to our conversion, we are to practice “the best and most sanctifying” devotion to the Blessed Virgin (cf. 79-82).
The fourth truth is that, even though Jesus Christ is “our Advocate and our Mediator of redemption with God the Father”, nevertheless we are to confess that we need a mediator with the Mediator himself. In this regard “Mary is the one most able to fulfil this office of love” (TD 85). As human beings aiming at encountering Jesus, we need her not to deal with our sinfulness – for Jesus is our only Redeemer – but to deal with the fear coming from the awareness of our sinfulness. Indeed, fear of our condition could paralyse us. Montfort is well aware of this, as he is aware of the fact that Mary can help us to overcome such fear: “When we see her, we see our own human nature at its purest. She is not the sun, dazzling our weak sight by the brightness of its rays. Rather, she is fair and gentle as the moon, which receives its light from the sun and softens it and adapts it to our limited perception” (TD 85).
The fifth truth is that it is “difficult to persevere in holiness because we carry the treasure of grace in fragile vessels” (TD 87). “It is something of a miracle for anyone to stand firm in the midst of this raging torrent and not be swept away”. And yet, “it is Mary, the singularly faithful Virgin, over whom Satan had never any power, who works this miracle for those who truly love her” (TD 89).
Personal Reflection and Sharing
What is my response to the above “truths”? How rooted are they in my personal experience?
What new insights do I need to respond to, as regards the importance of Mary in my journey to Christ?
[3-2] CALL RESPONSE COMMITMENT PRAYER