3.4 Response
STAGE 3: In Communion with Mary
MARY AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
THE APOSTOLIC WAY
RESPONSE
Aim: To respond to the effects produced by Holy Spirit in those who practice the consecration to Jesus through Mary.
Reading
Mary’s virtues reproduced in the chosen ones (TD 34): “God the Holy Spirit wishes to fashion God’s chosen ones in and through Mary. The Spirit tells her, ‘My well-beloved, my spouse, let all your virtues take root in my chosen ones, that they may grow from strength to strength and from grace to grace. When you were living on earth, practicing the most sublime virtues, I was so pleased with you that I still desire to find you on earth without your ceasing to be in heaven. Reproduce yourself then in my chosen ones, so that I may have the joy of seeing in them the roots of your invincible faith, profound humility, total mortification, sublime prayer, ardent charity, your firm hope and all your virtues’”.
Comment
According to Montfort, those people who live up to the spirit of the consecration are awarded with seven “wonderful effects”.
We acquire the grace of self-knowledge. By the light which the Holy Spirit gives us through Mary, we acquire a sharp knowledge of ourselves. We look upon ourselves with the humility of Mary both by welcoming with gratitude the gifts we have received from God and by quickly perceiving our evil inclinations. With the same humility we look upon everybody with respect and we do not look down slightingly on anyone (TD 213).
We share in Mary’s faith. Through the Spirit, Mary shares with us her faith. The more we gain her friendship, the more we let ourselves be inspired by faith in our daily life. It is a lively faith animated by pure love. It is a firm faith, unshakable as a rock, prompting us to remain firm and steadfast in the midst of trials. It is an active and probing faith, which admits us into all the mysteries of God and humanity. It is a courageous faith, which inspires us to undertake and carry out, without hesitation, great things for God and the salvation of souls. Lastly, this faith is our flaming torch, our very life with God, our secret fund of divine Wisdom (TD 214).
We receive the gift of pure love. Through the Spirit, Mary rids our heart of all scruples and inordinate fears. She helps us not only to observe the commandments but also to live the Beatitudes of Jesus with alacrity and with the holy freedom of the children of God. She fills our heart with pure love and teaches us to look upon God as a loving Father, to speak to him trustfully, and to offer our hand to him with simplicity, when we are in need of his mercy (TD 215).
We are filled with great confidence in Mary. Through the Spirit, Mary accompanies us to Jesus and makes us grow in his spirit. Since we have given her everything, she imparts to us her own virtues and clothes us in her own merits. She gives herself to us in a marvellous and real manner. After giving her in trust all that we possess, to use or keep as she pleases, we place less trust in ourselves and much more in her whom we have made our treasury. Then we can say: “The treasury of God, where he has placed all that he holds most precious, is also my treasury” (TD 216).
We are given the spirit of Mary. Through the Spirit, the soul of Mary is communicated to us to glorify the Lord. Her spirit takes the place of ours to rejoice in God. When Mary is enthroned in our hearts and our souls breathe her as the body breathes air, then wonderful things happen on earth. The Holy Spirit, finding Mary present in our souls, comes down into us with great power. He fills us with his gifts, especially wisdom, by which we can produce wonders of grace (TD 217).
We are transformed into the likeness of Jesus. When Mary, the Tree of Life, is well cultivated in our soul, the Spirit brings forth her fruit, which is none other than Jesus. Mary is the temple of God in which saints are formed and moulded. Those who are cast into this divine mould are quickly shaped and moulded into Jesus and Jesus into them. At little cost and in a short time they become Christ-like, since they are cast into the very same mould that fashioned Jesus himself (TD 218-221).
We give the greater glory to Christ. We give glory to Jesus because, by laying aside our own intentions, we abandon ourselves to Mary’s intentions, which perfectly coincide with God’s intentions. We give glory to Jesus because, when approaching and even speaking to him, with humility we set no store on our own thoughts and actions but are content to rely on Mary’s dispositions. We give glory to Jesus because we place the gift of our actions into the hands of Mary and we ask her to present them herself to him on our behalf. We give glory to Jesus because we never think of Mary without Mary thinking of God for us. We never praise or honour Mary without Mary joining us in praising and honouring God. Mary is entirely relative to God. In fact, Mary is an echo of God, speaking and repeating only God. If we say “Mary” she say “God” (TD 222-225).
Personal Reflection and Sharing
What is my response today to the above “effects” of the consecration? How are these effects resonating with my personal experience?
What do I need to do in order to concretize more deeply, in my daily living, the impact of the effects?
[3-4] CALL RESPONSE COMMITMENT PRAYER