Are You A False Devotee to Mary?

assumption of mary, assumption, mary, blessed mother

I have consecrated myself to Jesus through Mary eight times during my nine-year journey. This year, I felt the Spirit move me to complete St. Louis DeMontfort’s True Devotion to Mary. I mentioned it on my daily 10-minute podcast and God spoke to me through three different people over the course of a few weeks about this consecration. However, when I looked at my calendar, I determined it wasn’t the right time for me. During a coaching call, my client – the third person who mentioned it to me – suggested I start that very day and end on the Feast of the Visitation.

Is God Speaking To You?

Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2).

I knew that DeMontfort’s consecration was intense and a big-time commitment. I was packing for a trip to Nebraska the following day and traveling to Michigan and Florida for some talks, the timing was not ideal at all. But I took this third prompting as God telling me, “Now is the time.” I downloaded the book and began without hesitation.

I have completed different consecrations such as 33 Days to Morning Glory by Father Michael Gaitley, Mic, and my former radio co-host Christine Watkins’ Mary’s Mantle Consecration. The first consecration Mary took me to Jesus and He healed me of my addiction to marijuana. You would think I would have a deep love and devotion to Mary as a result, but I did not either interiorly or exteriorly.

Mary, Mary, Mary

That is the title of a chapter in my book, “Am I Catholic?” a little take from the Brady Bunch when Jan would say, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,” when her family and friends would go on and on about her sister. While I understood Mary’s significance, I did not truly understand her role in The Church or my life, despite what she has done for me.

I admit I had a lukewarm relationship with Mary. I recited the Rosary on and off, I sometimes prayed for her intercession and sometimes thought I was making Jesus mad when I did. I wore a scapular and a miraculous medal which was an exterior way of showing what was not interior in my heart and soul.

St. Louis DeMontfort’s words cut through to my heart and I was shown the truth, I was a false devotee to Mary.

Seven False Devotions to Mary

The below is from St. Louis DeMontfort’s book, True Devotion to Mary, on what it means to be a false devotee to Mary (paraphrased for this article):

  • The Critical Devotee – proud scholars who have some devotion to Mary but call in doubt all the miracles and histories recorded by authors. They think people who pray to Mary are simple-minded and they believe nothing and criticize everything in regard to Mary. These kinds of people are proud and worldly and are greatly to be feared.
  • The Scrupulous Devotee – those who fear to dishonor the Son by honoring the Mother, to abase one in elevating the other. I used to do this, I felt guilty of praying to Mary when I should pray to God alone. My Spiritual Director corrected this by saying that is Satan’s work.
  • The External Devotee – persons who make all devotion to our Blessed Lady consisting in outward practices only. They do not have an interior spirit of their own such as ‘checking the box’ when praying the Rosary, hearing Masses distractedly, enrolling in confraternities without amending their lives, doing no violence to their passions, or imitating the virtues of the Most Holy Virgin.
  • The Presumptuous Devotee – sinners abandoned to their passions, lovers of the world who conceal pride, avarice, impurity, drunkenness, anger, swearing, detraction, injustice, or some other sin. They sleep in peace in the midst of their bad habits without doing any violence to themselves to correct their faults, under the pretext that they are devout to the Blessed Virgin. They believe God will pardon them, they will not die without confession, or because they wear the scapular or are enrolled in congregations.
  • The Inconstant Devotee – those who are devout to our Blessed Lady by intervals and whims. Sometimes they are fervent and sometimes lukewarm. They change like the moon and Mary puts them under her feet with the crescent because they are unworthy to be reckoned among the servants of the faithful Virgin. I was also this kind of false devotee.
  • The Hypocritical Devotee – who cloak their sins and sinful habits under her mantle in order to pass in the eyes of men for what they are not. They put themselves into confraternities in order to pass for good people but do nothing internally or externally.
  • The Interested Devotee – who have recourse to our Lady only to gain some lawsuit, or to avoid some danger, or to be cured of some illness or for some other necessity or bodily evils to obtain temporal goods. Yep, this was me as well.
True Devotion to Mary

The title of this consecration is perfect. DeMontfort explains in many ways fundamental truths about Our Blessed Mother and motives for this perfect consecration to her Son. He continues with the admirable effects on the perfect consecration to Jesus through Mary and ways we can both exteriorly and interiorly practice this devotion.

His words cut to my heart. He showed me the truth about Mary and her significance in salvation history in a way that moved knowledge and understanding from my head to my heart where the Holy Spirit gave me His God-given wisdom. It was as if I was seeing Mary the way that God The Father, The Son, and her Beloved Spouse, The Holy Spirit see her.

On May 31st, I prayed my final consecration prayer. I went to confession and was a blubbering idiot. My first confession was that I was a false devotee to Mary and the tears just came streaming down my face. I went to Adoration and prayed the prayers in the book before Mass and had a physical and spiritual peace come over my soul. I then participated in Mass on the Feast of the Visitation in a way that is indescribable. It was as if every single word was penetrating my heart. I received Holy Communion in the manner that DeMontfort taught me, and I wept in my pew.

I believe that God moved Mary into my heart and my soul in a way that she wasn’t there before. I highly recommend you read his book and also complete the consecration. I am not kidding when I say it does require a lot of time, but the blessings I have received far outweigh the time commitment. I did use the Audible book version and it was helpful for me because I am a slow reader and the book is pretty heavy. I may have not finished it for fear that I would fall asleep after a few pages. You may want to try that, I chose the version narrated by Kevin O’Brien, he did a wonderful job. Plus all of the supplemental readings are in the audiobook, so I didn’t have to buy another book. I have listened a few more times while cleaning the house and have had new enlightenment penetrate my heart. This is a book you should revisit again and again it is that powerful – such a blessing.

Thank you, St. Louis DeMontfort, for explaining so clearly who Mary is and why we need her in our lives and for our salvation. Praise God for his passion in sharing this True Devotion with the world that was almost kept from us.

 

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15 thoughts on “Are You A False Devotee to Mary?”

  1. Pingback: The Three "P's" of Prayer - Catholic Stand

  2. Peter
    It’s good that you are Consecrated to God.
    But this devotion to Mary that St Louis teaches us of is advocated by so many Popes, Saints and even Councils such as Vatican II.
    We are imperfect.
    Mary has more perfect knowledge of God than we, through her actions, sentiments, participation in the Mysteries of Christ, her Union with Him and her Virtues.
    She will augment the gift we give to God, ourselves and our actions, and make them more acceptable and pleasing to God.
    Remember the Fatima Messages and recall that Jesus Christ Himself, Our Lord wishes to be honoured more through Mary’s Immaculate Heart to be honoured more.
    We must avoid being critical devotees of Mary, but remember that rather than God coming directly to us as a grown man, He Instead chose to come to us by Mary.
    God Bless you Peter.
    God founded the Church on St Peter, the stone (Cephas).
    But the Mother of the Church is The Mother of God. Is within us, we must know and remember that Mary is our Mother too, my Mother and your Mother. We are brothers of Jesus. His Mother is Mary, so she is also our Mother.

    You who suffered the Holy wounds for our sake, Jesus Christ ,have Mercy on us.
    And you so with him suffered too, Sorrowful Mother, intercession for us.

    Sacred Heart of Jesus, have Mercy on us
    Immaculate Heart of Mary, intercede for us
    St Joseph, pray for us
    St Peter pray for us

    Mary lead us to Jesus
    Amen
    Our Father…
    Hail Mary…
    Glory Be…
    Ave Maria, Virgo Fidelis
    Ave Maria, Mater Misericordiae

  3. Mary prepares us perfectly to meet God just as Rebecca prepared Jacob to meet Isaac- she clothed him, prepared the good he offered…
    Mary prepares us to come to God more perfectly and supplements our own deficiencies and weakness with her Love and Care.
    God is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end of our Devotions. He is our Destination, and Mary is the Perfect road to reach Him. She was sinless, and so by walking with her in life, we fare much better spiritually than we would by our own means.
    Mary is our Perfect road. God Is our Perfect Destination.
    God Bless you Peter
    Jesus Mary Joseph
    Amen

  4. Pingback: 10 Reverent Ways To Pray the Rosary - Catholic Stand

  5. God meets us where we are at. I found that everyone struggles with the same things and if we ask Mary and Jesus for help to pray the Rosary the way they intended , that prayer will be answered.
    I am glad that I never gave up praying the Rosary despite temptations to quit mostly because I was not praying in it in a manner that “I” felt was worthy of the devotion. (I.e. dryness in prayer, distractions etc). But the Graces of the Rosary are infinite and our souls never worthy, but worth it. God is faithful and honors our perseverance and right intentions. So I gave him my little fish and asked Him to multiply it by starting with a decade each day. He did. The Rosary teaches us to love Jesus in ways that Mary does. Mary help us to love Jesus as you do. Amen Mary asked us to pray the Rosary everyday and the great saints listened and saw it’s fruits. Pray the Rosary , never quit

  6. Kendra: The writings that I read were The Secret of Mary and the Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. I noticed that much of what Louis de Montfort says of Mary is said of Jesus in Scripture. When he spoke of Mary’s humility towards God and being filled with the Holy Spirit which gave her so many of God’s gifts, I realized that this also applies to the humanity of Jesus in relation to His Father; but, being part of the Godhead gives Him an access to the Father for His intercession and prayer that is not possible for anyone else; and, when Christ’s Spirit is within us, there is no distance between us and Christ.
    I had done a personal entrustment and consecration directly to the Godhead long before I read Louis de Montfort, and I believe that this type of latria entrustment to the Godhead cannot be applied to Mary. I found the instructions for it in Scripture. For me, this consecration was a life-changing experience. Getting to Jesus only requires our willingness to do it directly. Asking someone to pray for us or to do it for us only postpones it.
    No one can do it for us.

    1. Peter, your “approach” to the Godhead certainly sounds ideal, and seems to work for you, which is great! However, for someone like myself (a suicide survivor), it could have never worked! FYI…a suicide “survivor” is one who actually attempted suicide and was rescued…”but for the grace of God”…
      TODAY, I understand that suicide is the very “height” of pride, but that understanding came over the course of time. A very long time. I had some pretty serious parent issues, stemming from a host of circumstances, and exasperated by alcoholism. The result was that I had a very unhealthy fear of the Godhead (including Jesus), as you describe Him, being terrified of Him. My soul was destined for hell undoubtedly, but our merciful God intervened by sending Mama Mary to the rescue…
      My story might be an “extreme” case, but I have met many who identify. The thing that we must bear in mind is that there is a devil and just as God has a plan for our lives, so does he. The devil hates Mary more than even the Godhead, and THAT is essentially the “Secret of Mary”. Why does the devil hate Mary so much? Humility. Pure “human” humility! He can’t stand it!
      By the way, another book by the same author that you did not mention, and perhaps one of the greatest of St Louis de Montfort’s writings is also a “secret”…and its name “The Secret of the Rosary” is equally intriguing. In fact, that is the book that became the gateway (for me) to ALL of St Louis de Montfort’s profound writings! I HIGHLY recommend it! The Godhead decided to come into the world through Mary. It makes perfect sense that the “easiest, softest, way” to go to the Godhead is through the same means: Mama Mary!

    2. Mary prepares us perfectly to meet God just as Rebecca prepared Jacob to meet Isaac- she clothed him, prepared the good he offered…
      Mary prepares us to come to God more perfectly and supplements our own deficiencies and weakness with her Love and Care.
      God is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end of our Devotions. He is our Destination, and Mary is the Perfect road to reach Him. She was sinless, and so by walking with her in life, we fare much better spiritually than we would by our own means.
      Mary is our Perfect road. God Is our Perfect Destination.
      God Bless you Peter
      Jesus Mary Joseph
      Amen

  7. Kendra,
    Thank you for your kind remarks! I appreciate them very much!
    The painting that I’d referenced was done by Richard George. Here is a link to his website and the painting…
    https://www.rlgeorge.studio/gallery/our-lady-of-tihaljina-medjugorje-print/
    His witness behind the inspiration for the painting is powerful as well. It happened while he was visiting Medjuorjia many years ago…
    For what it is worth, I think Peter is more focused on the “goal” rather than the means in his comment. In other words, the whole consecration is about Jesus, really, when you think about it. Not everyone can appreciate the tremendous “need” to repair brokenness in order to “get” to that goal, in as much as not everyone experiences brokenness from one or both of their earthly parents. That’s what Mama Mary did for me, anyway. She met me exactly where I was, in a “trash heap”, so to speak, cleaned me up and made me presentable, after which she then presented me to her Son, Jesus!
    God bless,
    John

  8. I sent this article to a friend of mine. She responded to me asking about my thoughts on it…since I was drawn to it. This was my response to her…

    Hello Marilyn.

    I found the article interesting because it reminded me of my own “journey” of a developing relationship with Mama Mary…

    Like she said in her article, I too consecrated myself to Jesus through Mary each year for a number of years, although my consecration was the original one from St Louis de Montfort from the start. For the writer, his format was the last one she did, and she found it to be the one that solidified her relationship, so to speak…

    She described St Louis’ consecration as “intense”, which reminded me of something my son said to me many years ago, saying: “dad, you’re SO intense”!!! Maybe St Louis’ consecration was “too” intense for me??? Who knows…

    She described how her first consecration healed her of her addiction to marijuana. Was it my own consecration that led me to be healed of my cigarette addiction the night you anointed and prayed over me? Could be…

    She also described how her relationship with Mary did not become deep and devoted right away after her first consecration, and that it was a sort of “journey” for her. I “so” identify with this seeming “process” of a deep relationship with Mama Mary. A relationship that I’d seen in you…for Mama Mary. I wanted to be as “close” to her as I saw you were, but the best I could do at the time was to “act” the part for the longest time…

    I did not “feel” close to her though, probably because I had some “serious” mother issues. Then that painting of Mary’s eyes “stopped” me in my tracks at the gift shop located on the grounds of Mother Angelica’s Monastery. Something happened to me at that moment. Her love came to me through the eyes on that canvas as real as any love I’d ever seen in anyone’s eyes, perhaps EVEN more real. I could not afford to buy that painting at the time, but I used a credit card and brought it back to Texas with me. My entire relationship with Mama Mary began to grow rapidly from that day on…

    I’ve had lengthy witnesses with the artist and his wife since then. I’ve shared countless prayer cards of her image and loving eyes. I’ve brought her love to many people…as many as I could because her love compels me to do so. I no longer have to “act” the part. Mama is real to me now. Just as real as I saw and felt her presence in you many, many years ago!

    It isn’t magic, though. I had to do a lot of “scrubbing” my windows along the way. Still do. Confession has become the means by which I stay connected with Jesus “through” Mary. She is the most tolerant, patient, loving, mama that anyone could EVER ask for in this world! I know this from experience NOW!

    Fr O’Mara used just ONE word to advise me time and time again. He would say “PERSEVERE”…as a way to energize me to keep on keeping on, no matter what. Discouragement is a major tool that the enemy uses to prevent growth and depth. Padre’s advice got through many of the hurdles…in addition to memories I’ve had of Mama Mary’s love that you showed me in ways too many too count over the years!

    Thank you for being Mama’s fried, my friend, AND “coaxing” (pushing) me to write out these thoughts!

    God bless you always!
    Love, John

    1. John, I must respond. This is beautiful and I am so glad you shared. I know Jesus wants us close to His mother, He gave her to us and we, like St. John, should take her into our home. I do not have too many paintings or statues in my house (my non-practicing husband has told me to stop buying them) 😉 but I do have some very small statues – one right next to my bed and one on my window sill in my kitchen. It pleases God The Father, who chose her and blessed her from her Immaculate Conception, her beloved spouse The Holy Spirit, who overshadowed her placing Jesus in her womb and Jesus, who was nurtured and nourished by her body and who He obeyed for 30 years of His life (with the exception of the three days in the temple).

      The Holy Trinity so loved her that she was assumed into Heaven and was coronated Queen of Heaven and Earth. Let’s not forget the Mediatrix of Grace – the gift from The Father. While all of these things I knew, I know that the Spirit is changing my heart and that my prayers through Mary to Jesus are holier, purified and will be given to Him unlike my selfish, filthy and sinful prayer.

      Lastly, I think a lot of people struggle with the love of Mary with their own mothers as well. It MELTS MY HEART to here you….a man….refer to her as Mama Mary. Your response will resonate with others, praise God you shared. Kiss your friend for me, too 🙂

      By the way, can you share a link of that painting? I would love to see it. I am not sure you can attach anything to these comments. May Mary and Jesus continue to be formed in you through her beloved spouse, The Holy Spirit. GOD IS SOOOOO GOOD!

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  10. When I read two of Louis de Montfort’s writings, an interesting thing happened. I came to an understanding of the importance of Jesus’ humanity and how the man Christ Jesus mediates and intercedes for us in relation to His Father. Jesus’ resources on our behalf are immediately available to us when His Spirit resides within us. We are complete in Him because all of the fullness of the Godhead resides in Him.
    As part of the Godhead, Jesus is the only human being who can provide us with access to the Father: and He does it when His Spirit is within us. Also, as our High Priest intercessor, His intercession on our behalf is essential for our salvation (cf. Hebrews 7:24-25 and 4:14-16). His human faith in the Father is the gift of faith that brings us justification.
    We only need to yield ourselves to Him.

    1. Hi Peter,
      I am curious which readings you read of his? I responded to John (above) and believe the True Devotion book might be one you should check out. You are correct, Jesus is the access to the Father, there is no denying that (nobody gets to the Father, except through Him). Let us not forget the enmity between the woman’s offspring and Satan’s.

      Mary just intercedes for us to Jesus. Jesus is the end game. Mary just helps us get to Him, she never denies His mother. I like to think of it as millions of Christians (of all denominations) standing in a line waiting to give our prayers and offerings to Jesus. Each of us may have impure desires, selfishness and sinfulness in our prayers. We are all standing there holding our greasy prayers on a paper plate.

      But when we go to Mary to have her bring our prayers to Jesus, He knows how pure she is, she is filled with the Holy Spirit. She takes our greasy paper-plate and puts our prayers on a gold platter adorned with fruit, wine and cheese. She sits next to Him, blows by the millions in line and per the Memorare, “Never was it known that anyone who implored thy help or sought thy intercessions was left unaided.”

      DeMontfort describes Jesus and Mary as the light is to the sun or heat is to the fire, they are inseparable. And let’s not forget, Satan hates her, he cannot believe a creature far below him has all this grace from God. Many exorcists share the possessed spirits MUST acknowledge her purity and power (through God) and revolt in the mention of her name.

      I could go on and on and on, but DeMontfort does such an amazing job that I pray you read it, maybe even do the consecration? The Holy Trinity is overjoyed when we love Mary, we can never love her more than them. And she is so humble, she doesn’t make anything about her – it’s all about her Son and why we don’t hear much from her in the Bible. It’s not about her, it’s about her Son. That is her sole job, to bring us to Jesus’ Sacred Heart.

      Anyway, praying for you and let me know if you do read it – plus share the other readings you refer to if you don’t mind. Blessings to you and know that all of this comes from my heart, no judgement, just a reply.

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