SAN VICENTE FERRER: Priest

SAN VICENTE FERRER

1350-1419

Priest

Saint Vincent was born at Valencia, Spain in 1350 to William Ferrer and Constancia Miguel, both nobles.  He was educated in Valencia and at the age of 17 received the habit of the Order of Preachers.  He was sent to Barcelona for further studies.  Later, he taught philosophy at Lerida and in three years returned once more to Barcelona.  He proceeded to continue his studies at Toulouse.

          In the troubled times in which he lived, he was an Angel of Peace.  After recovering from a serious illness in 1398, during which he had a vision of Christ accompanied by Saint Dominic de Guzman and Saint Francis of Assisi directing him to teach penance, he devoted himself to preaching.  He traveled throughout Spain, France, and Italy, preaching the Word of God with special stress on penance for sin and preparations for the Last Judgement.  Although he preached in his own native tongue to people who spoke different languages, he was clearly understood by all because of his extraordinary Gift of Tongues.  He was also outstanding for the Gift of Prophecy, worked astonishing miracles and brought back thousands, including Jews and Moors, to the faith.  His authority helped to bring the Great Schism to an end.

            The Saint spent the last three years of his life in France and died at Vannes, Brittany on April 5, 1419.  Pope Calixtus III canonized him in 1455.

                   O God, you sent to the world your priest St. Vincent as a minister of the evangelical preaching; grant, we beseech you, that he whom St. Vincent announced to come as judge on earth, we may joyfully contemplate reigning in Heaven.  This we ask through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  APRIL 5

                        MEMORIAL

SANTO TOMAS DE AQUINO: Priest and Doctor of the Church

SANTO TOMAS DE AQUINO

1225-1274

Priest & Doctor of the Church

            Saint Thomas was born in Rocca Secca, Italy in 1225 of the family of the Counts of Aquino.  At the age of 17 he received the habit of the Order of Preachers at Naples.  After overcoming by heroic patience and steadfastness the opposition of his family, he was sent first to Cologne to study under Saint Albert the Great, then afterwards to Paris, where in 1256, he obtained the title of Master of Theology.

            A great Dominican teacher, he spent his entire religious life teaching and writing, deriving, as he said, “more light from the crucifix than from books”.  His magnum opus the Summa Theologiae, the greatest exposition of theological thought ever written and became the accepted basis for modern Catholic theology, is but one of the more than a hundred others he penned, all of which he dedicated to investigating the sublime truth of God in the light of faith and the human intellect.  His Eucharistic hymns, composed at the request of Pope Urban IV for the Solemnity of the Feast of Corpus Christi, are among the greatest treasures of the Church.

            The Angelic Doctor was renowned, even during his lifetime, for humility, for holiness and for learning, and is said to have experienced visions, ecstasies and revelations.  He is known on the testimony of his confessor to have preserved throughout his life the grace of virginity.

            Acclaimed the greatest and undisputed master of Christian scholastic theology, he surrendered to God at the Cistercian Abbey of Fossa Nuova, near Terracina, Italy on March 7, 1274 and was canonized by Pope John XXII in 1323. Pope Saint Pius V declared him Doctor of the Church.  Pope Leo XIII named him Patron of Catholic Schools and Pope Pius XI added to his other titles that of Doctor of the Most Holy Eucharist.

           

O God, you made St. Thomas outstanding by the zeal for sanctity and in the study of the sacred doctrine; grant, we beseech you, that we may understand what he taught and imitate what he did.  This we ask through Christ our Lord.  Amen

FEASTDAY:  JANUARY 28

                        FEAST.

SAN PEDRO DE VERONA: Priest and Dominican Protomartyr

SAN PEDRO DE VERONA

c.1205-1252

Priest & Dominican Protomartyr

            Saint Peter was born at Verona, Italy, between 1205 and 1206 of Manichean parents.  While a student at Bologna, he entered the Order of Preachers, receiving the habit from the hands of Saint Dominic himself.  Full of zeal for the purity of the Faith, he preached the Word of God with great energy, bringing many back to the way of truth.  He soon became a celebrated preacher and engaged in disputes with the heretics all over northern Italy.  He is also known to have preserved his virginity to the end of his life.

          When fatally stabbed by engaged heretics and dying on the road to Milan, he wrote on the ground with his own blood the Catholic doctrine he has so staunchly defended in his life: CREDO IN UNUM DEUM.

            He died on April 6, 1252 and was canonized the following year by Pope Innocent IV in 1253.

                   O God, Author and Protector of faith, you crowned Blessed Peter, who persevered in the profession of the true faith, with the gift of Martyrdom;  grant that, confessing the same faith with words and deeds, we may become successful in the salvation of souls.  This we ask through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  JUNE 4

                        MEMORIAL

SANTA MARGARITA DE UNGRIA: Virgin and Nun

SANTA MARGARITA DE UNGRIA

1242-1270

Virgin & Nun

            Saint Margaret was born in 1242, the daughter of King Bela IV of Hungary and the Greek princess Maria Lascaris, who had vowed to dedicate her to God if granted victory over their enemies, the invading Tartars.  When 4 years old, she was placed in the Monastery of Veszprin for her education.  She received the Dominican habit, and in fulfillment of a vow, her father founded a monastery for her on an island in the Danube near Budapest.

            At the age of 12, she made her profession in the hands of Humbert of Romans, Fifth Master of the Order.  Shortly afterwards, her parents obtained a papal dispensation for her to marry the King of Bohemia, but Margaret refused to compromise her vocation saying, “I esteem infinitely more the King of Heaven… than the crown offered me by the king of Bohemia”.  To prevent further annoyance, she received the Consecration of Virgins with three other sisters at the foot of the altar dedicated to her aunt, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.  This is the only instance of the Consecration of Virgins in the annals if the Nuns of the Order of Preachers.

         

          Margaret distinguished herself in the monastery for her humility and poverty.  Despite her royal rank, she always chose the last place and loved to tend the sick, serving the most loathsome on her knees.

            Saint Margaret died in 1270 at the age of 28.  She was raised to the honors of the altar when Pope Pius XII canonized her in 1943.

                   O God, lover and guardian of virginity, a virtue to which your servant Margaret added to splendor of good works, grant, we beseech you, that by the spirit of a salutary penance we may restore the integrity of our souls.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  JANUARY 18

                        MEMORIAL

SANTA INES DE MONTEPULCIANO: Virgin and Nun

SANTA INES DE MONTEPULCIANO

c.1268-1317

Virgin & Nun

           

            Saint Agnes was born around 1268 and embraced the religious life at the tender age of 9.  Because of her precarious wisdom and sanctity, she was soon raised to positions of  responsibility within her community, becoming superior at the age of 15 after a special dispensation was obtained from Pope Martin IV.  Later, due to a divine revelation, she founded a monastery of Dominican nuns in Montepulciano of which she became the first prioress.

Many extraordinary graces were bestowed on Mother Agnes: in a vision she was once permitted to hold the Infant Jesus; several times she was privileged to receive Holy Communion from an angel, and she was often seen in ecstasy levitating from the floor.  One of the most extraordinary occurrences recorded concerning her is the formation of white cross-shaped particles, described as manna, which frequently fell on her and the area where she was kneeling in prayer.  She has the gift of prophecy, performed many miracles and is known to have mysteriously supplied food for the convent.

            Saint Agnes died in 1317, at the age of 49.  Curiously enough the body of the Saint was originally intended to be embalmed but the idea was disregarded when it was found to be in a state of incorruption even after several years.  A precious fluid issues from the extremities of her hands and feet, which was collected in a crystal vial.

          Pope Benedict XIII, a Dominican, canonized his saintly sister in 1726.

                   O God, you adorned your spouse Agnes with the admirable zeal for prayer; grant that, through her imitation, our minds may obtain the abundant fruits of devotion.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  APRIL 20

                        MEMORIAL

SAN ALBERTO MAGNO: Bishop and Doctor of the Church

SAN ALBERTO MAGNO

1203-1280

Bishop

Doctor of the Church

           

            Saint Albert was born at their family castle at Lauingen, Germany, on the banks of the Danube, about 1203 and studied at the University of Padua.  In 1223, the eldest son of the Count of Bollstadt was received into the Dominican Order by Blessed Jordan of Saxony in 1223.  He attributed his vocation to the Virgin Mary to whom he bore a tender devotion.

            Saint Albert was one of the great intellects of the medieval Church.  He was one of the first and among the greatest natural scientists.  His knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, geography (one of his treatises proved the earth to be round) was so encyclopedic.  He wrote profusely on logic, metaphysics, mathematics, the Bible and theology.  He pioneered the Scholastic method, so brilliantly developed by his pupil and disciple, Saint Thomas Aquinas, by applying Aristotelian methods to revealed doctrine.  His brilliance and erudition caused him to be called “The Universal Doctor” by his contemporaries.

            Saint Albert the Great died on November 15, 1280.  Three years after his death, his body was found in a state preservation and exhaling a delightful fragrance.  This condition lasted for over two hundred years.  The relics of the Saint were removed from the damaged Dominican church of Cologne to Saint Andrew’s Church in 1804.

Pope Pius canonized and declared Saint Albert the Great a Doctor of the Church.  In 1941, Pope Pius XII constituted him patron before God of students of the natural sciences.

                        O God, fountain and origin of all wisdom, you made the bishop Blessed Albert great in harmonizing human wisdom with divine faith; grant, we beseech you, that adhering to his magisterial teaching, and through the advance of the sciences, we may come to a deeper knowledge and love of you.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  NOVEMBER 15

                        FEAST

BEATA JUANA DE AZA: Mother of Saint Dominic de Guzman

BEATA JUANA DE AZA

c.           –c.1190

Mother of Saint Dominic de Guzman

            Beata Juana was born of the d’Aza family, which ranked among the highest nobility in Old Castile.  Married to Felix de Guzman, a man “rich and revered among his people”, was said to have prayed for a son when her two eldest boys were grown and dreamed she bore a dog in her womb, while she was bearing Dominic, which would set the world afire with the torch in its mouth.

            She bore at least three sons who were given over to the service of the Church and became priests: Santo Domingo, Beato Mannes and Antonio.  One died a death of heroic charity and two were raised to the honours of the altar.

          According to the earliest and most reliable source, Beata Juana, who was known for her physical and spiritual beauty, was described as being “virtuous, chaste, prudent, most compassionate to the poor and afflicted” and “of all women in that place she was outstanding of her good reputation.”

          A valiant and a saintly mother and woman, Beata Juana died at Caleruega and was buried at the churchyard there.  Her relics were transferred first to San Pedro de Gumiel, then to Penafiel between 1334 and 1340.  Pope Leo XII confirmed her cult in 1828.

FEASTDAY:  AUGUST 2

                       OPTIONAL MEMORIAL

BEATA MARGARITA DE CITTA-DI-CASTELLO: Virgin & Tertiary

BEATA MARGARITA DE CITTA-DI-CASTELLO

1287-1320

Virgin & Tertiary

            Born in Metola on 1287, Margaret was born a dwarf, hunchback, lame and blind.  She was kept hidden by her parents throughout her childhood.  When she was 16, she was taken from Metola to the miraculous shrine at Citta-di-Castello, where a cure was anticipated.  Unfortunately, no miracle occurred, and it is recorded that the child was left abandoned.

            She was cared for by various poor families of the city and earned money for her board by attending to small children.  Her cheerfulness, based on trust and love of God, endeared her to everyone.  Finally, the family of our Father Dominic welcomed her into the Third Order with open arms.  She became, by her radiant charity, a source of hope and consolation for the poor, the outcast, the sick and the imprisoned, to whom she ministered tirelessly.

            At last her heavenly Spouse called her to eternal nuptials on April 13, 1320 at the age of 33.  After her death, more than two hundred miracles occurred in confirmation of her heroic sanctity.

            The preliminary steps toward the cause of her beatification were undertaken by the Dominican Order, but at various times it languished, until it was almost forgotten.  During the sixteenth century, interest in her cause was rekindled after the discovery of her incorrupt and perfectly preserved body.  On June 9, 1558, the bishop authorized the transfer of the Beata’s remains to a new coffin after it was noticed that the original one was rotting away.

Many miracles followed this ceremony, and the cause, which was undertaken with renewed interest, came to a successful conclusion on October 19, 1609, when the Church, led by Pope Paul V officially recognized Margaret’s sanctity, pronouncing her a beata and designating April 13 as her feastday.

            The body of Beata Margarita so miserably deformed in life, remained perfectly intact and incorrupt in death and lies under the High Altar of the Church of San Domenico at Citta-di-Castello, Italy.  The arms of the body are still flexible, the eyelashes are present, and the nails are in place on the hands and feet.  The colour has darkened slightly and the skin is dry and somewhat hardened, but by all standards the preservation can be considered a remarkable condition, having endured for over six hundred seventy years.

FEASTDAY:  APRIL 13

SAN LORENZO RUIZ DE MANILA: The Filipino Proto-Martyr

SAN LORENZO RUIZ DE MANILA

c. 1600-1637

The Filipino Proto-Martyr

San Lorenzo was born in Binondo, a suburb of Manila, the Philippines around the beginning of the seventeenth century from a Chinese father and a Filipina mother.  He was an errand boy who did various jobs in the church and convent of San Gabriel in Binondo, and at the same time an altar boy or little sacristan in the church.  Lorenzo acquired a good knowledge of three languages, namely, Tagalog and Chinese from his mother and father and Spanish from the Dominican Fathers with whom he has personal and continuous contact.

Sometime in 1636, Lorenzo became implicated in a crime, the circumstances of which are unclear.  Fearing the death penalty if caught, he fled to the Provincial of the Dominican Order, to whom he was well known , and begged for help.  The Provincial arranged to have him board a Chinese sampan that was leaving secretly for Japan, carrying five chosen missionaries to the aid of the persecuted Christians there.  They set sail on June 10, 1636 and landed in Okinawa a month later.  At this point, Lorenzo, still fearful of being apprehended by Spanish authorities, decided to remain with the priests.  Arrested almost immediately, they were brought to Nagasaki on September  1637 for trial.  Lorenzo, the glory of the Church here in the Philippines, proudly declared:

                        “I am a Christian, and this I profess until the hour of my death; and for God I shall give my life; and although I did not come to Japan to be a martyr but because I could not stay in Manila, however, as a Christian and for God I shall give my life.  And so do with me as you please.”

           

There they staunchly upheld their Christian faith and underwent hideous torments with great constancy and joy.  Lorenzo, offered his life and his freedom in exchange for his faith, once again declared:

                                                “I am Christian, and I shall die for God, and for Him I will give many thousands of lives if I had them.  And so do with me as you please.”

They gave up their souls to God on September 29, 1637.  Pope John Paul II beatified Lorenzo and companion martyrs on February 18, 1981 at the Luneta, the first beatification to be held outside of the Vatican.  He also approved their canonization on October 18, 1987.  San Lorenzo Ruiz is the first Filipino to be raised to the honors of the altar.

                        O God, your ineffable mercy was proclaimed by word and with the shedding of the blood by Saint Lorenzo and his companions; grant, through their intercessions, that we may grow in your wisdom and, abounding in every good work, may we walk in your presence following the teachings of the Gospel.  This we ask you through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  SEPTEMBER 28                    

                       MEMORIAL

SAN VICENTE LIEM DE LA PAZ: Priest, Martyr and First Vietnamese Dominican

SAN VICENTE LIEM DE LA PAZ

1731-1773

Priest & Martyr

First Vietnamese Dominican

            Vicente was born in Tra’Lu, Vietnam in 1731.  He received the Dominican habit in Manila and continued his studies at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manila.

          Already a priest, the first Vietnamese Dominican asked to return to his land to work among his own people; he labored for fourteen years until he was captured on November 7, 1773.

                  

                   O God, fountain and origin of all fatherhood, you made Blessed Vincent faithful to the Cross of Christ to the  point of shedding his blood; grant through his intercession, that, spreading your love among the brethren, we may be called and become in reality  your children.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  NOVEMBER 24

                    MEMORIAL

SANTA CATALINA DE RICCI: Virgin and Tertiary

SANTA CATALINA DE RICCI

1522-1590

Virgin and Tertiary

            In 1522, Alexandrina was born in Florence from the noble de’ Ricci family.  She received the habit of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in the convent of San Vincenzio at Prato, Italy when she was 13.  She was given the name Catherine at her profession the following year, and with the assumption of this new name she embraced a life of severe penance, but one distinguished also by unusual mystical experiences.  At first she endured many physical afflictions,  which seem to be aggravated by ordinary medical treatment, but her agonies were sanctified by prayer and meditation on the Passion of Our Lord.

            During Holy Week of 1542, when Catherine was 20, she experienced the first of her ecstasies, in which she saw enacted, in sequence, the scenes of Our Lord’s Passion.  The ecstasies, which were repeated every week for twelve years, began at midday every Thursday and ended on Friday at 4:00 p.m.  During these raptures her body would move in conformity with the movements of Our Lord, and she would occasionally address exhortations to those witnessing her sufferings.

            On Easter Sunday of the same year, Our Lord appeared to her, took a ring from His finger and placed it on the forefinger of Catherine’s left hand in commemoration of their Mystical Espousal.  The Prioress described the ring as being gold and set with a large pointed diamond, but others saw it only as a swelling and reddening of the flesh, which various experiments could neither duplicate or erase.

            The wounds of the Sacred Stigmata, located in her hands, feet, and side and those wounds inflicted by the crown of thorns were variously described by people who viewed them.  Some declared that the hands were pierced through and bleeding; others perceived a brilliant light that dazzled their eyes; and still others saw the wounds as being healed but red and swollen.

            After a lengthy illness, Saint Catherine de’ Ricci died on February 2, 1590, at the age of 68, and was canonized by Pope Benedict IV in 1746.

                        O Lord, you were pleased that the Blessed Virgin Catherine be made illustrious by the contemplation of the Passion of your Son; grant that, through her intercession and recalling devotedly the same mysteries, we may deserve to experience their effects. This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  FEBRUARY 4

                       MEMORIAL

SAN LUIS BELTRAN: Patron of All Dominican Novices

 SAN LUIS BELTRAN

1525-1581

Priest

Patron of All Dominican Novices

            Saint Louis was born in Valencia, Spain, on January 1, 1526.  He was exceptionally pious as a child, reciting daily the Office of Our Lady and attending different churches in order to conceal from the knowledge of others his frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist.

            He received the Dominican habit, against the wishes of his parents, at the age of 19 and was ordained before he was 22.  Not many years after, he was appointed Novice Master, which office he fulfilled with so much zeal, prudence, virtue, self-denial and penance.  The Order of Preachers considers him to be the Patron of All its Novitiates and Formation Personnel for furnishing his novices and personnel a perfect model for their imitation.

            On fire with love for the salvation of all men, Saint Louis volunteered for the foreign missions and was eventually sent to Latin America.  There he labored indefatigably for over seven years among the most savage and hostile Indian tribes of Colombia, Venezuela, the West Indies and possibly southern Florida.  Though totally ignorant of the language if these people, he was able to convert numerous numbers through the miraculous gift of tongues.  His preaching was accompanied by many miracles and prophecies.  He once raised a girl to life by the application of a Rosary and often attributed to Our Lady the miraculous powers he manifested.  He returned to Spain and resumed his duties as Novice Master and won the esteem and friendship of Saint Teresa of Avila.  Later, he served as Prior of various houses.

            The celebrated Dominican preacher died on October 9, 1581 after suffering a long and painful illness.  Many prodigies accompanied his passing.  During the process of his beatification, witnesses testified that shortly after his death a heavenly perfume arose from his body, and that a light, which glowed for several minutes, proceeded from his mouth and illuminated his whole cell, and that seraphic music was heard in the church before his funeral.  Saint Louis was canonized by Pope Clement X on the same day as Saint Rose of Lima, April 12, 1671.

                        Almighty and ever living God, you filled the heart of Saint Louis with reverence for your name; inflame our hearts with the same fire that we may serve you faithfully with both awe and love.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  OCTOBER 9

                       MEMORIAL

SAN RAYMUNDO DE PENAFORT: Third Master of the Order of Preachers

SAN RAYMUNDO DE PENAFORT

c. 1175-1275

Priest

Third Master of the Order of Preachers

Of the noble family of Penafort, Saint Raymond was born in Barcelona around 1175.  He completed his university education in Bologna, was ordained to the priesthood and became a celebrated Master of Canon Law.  Sometime later, at the urging of his bishop, he returned to Barcelona where, in 1222, he received the habit of the Order of Preachers.

Within a year of his profession, Saint Raymond together with Saint Peter Nolasco, one of his penitents, founded the Order of Our Lady of Mercy for the ransom of captives.  Called to Rome by Pope Gregory IX, who appointed him papal chaplain and penitentiary, Raymond began at once on a compilation and revision of the papal Decretals, which was to remain the basis of the Church’s Code of Canon Law until 1917.  He was named Archbishop of Tarragona, despite his protests, in 1235, and persuaded the Roman Pontiff to recall the appointment when he became seriously ill.

He composed, at the request of his brethren, the famous SUMA CASUUM, a manual for confessors and preachers is about the correct and fruitful administration of the Sacrament of Penance.

            In 1238, Raymond was elected Master of the Order and drew up a revision of the Dominican constitution (which was to remain in effect until 1924), but he resigned two years later on grounds of ill health.  Retiring to Barcelona, he spent the next thirty-five years preaching, hearing confessions and working for the conversion of Jews.  He established priories at Tunis and Murcia, studied the Koran so as to dialogue with Moslems, introduced the study of Arabic and Hebrew into several Dominicans houses, and was responsible for Saint Thomas Aquinas writing  the SUMMA CONTRA GENTILES.  Saint Raymond died on January 6, 1275 and was canonized by Pope Clement VIII in 1601.

                                    O God, you adorned your illustrious priest Raymond with the virtue of mercy towards sinners; grant through his intercession that, free from the slavery of sin, we may do with free heart what is pleasing to you.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen

FEASTDAY:  JANUARY 6

                      MEMORIAL

SANTO DOMINGO DE GUZMAN: Priest and Founder of the Order of Preachers

SANTO DOMINGO DE GUZMAN

c.1170-1221

Priest and Founder of the Order of Preachers

Saint Dominic was born around 1170 at Caleruega in Spain of the noble De Guzman family.  After completing his studies at Palencia, he was ordained to the priesthood and became a Canon Regular in the Cathedral Chapter at Osma.  But soon he was called from his hidden life of liturgy and contemplation to the more active ministry of combating the Albigensian heresy, which at that time was rife in Southern France.  Using as a base the little group of nuns he had established at Prouille, he spent more than ten years ranging the countryside, begging from door to door, preaching indefatigably.  During this time, he became convinced of the need of a special body of trained priests who would spread the truth by preaching and teaching in apostolic poverty.  Out of this conviction the Order of Preachers, formally approved by Pope Honorius III  in 1216, was born.

The Founder was essentially a man of prayer and study, with a burning zeal for the salvation of souls – characteristics which he indelibly impressed upon his Order.  From these qualities stem  others easily  associated with them: his love for silence, his compassion for sinners, his joyous spirit, his singular purity of life and delicacy of conscience.  Dominic was also a leader, an innovator, a founder, and he had traits admirably suited to the dimension of his life: the ability to grip the essence of a problem and its most apt solution, a capacity for organization bordering on genius, a boundless trust in the capability and goodwill of his collaborators.  He had, in addition, a charism for ministering to women and for associating women in his ministry, attested not only by the establishment of three monasteries of nuns during his lifetime, but also in the recollections of many devout lay women who cared for his needs during his years in Southern France.

August 6, 1221, Saint Dominic died in Bologna and was buried, as he wished, beneath the feet of his brethren.  His close friend, Pope Gregory IX canonized him in 1234.

                                    Shining light of the Church, teacher of truth, excelling in patience, pure as whitest ivory, freely you have poured out the water of wisdom: bring us, preacher of grace, into the company of the saints.

                              O God, who has enlightened your church by the eminent virtues and preaching of St. Dominic, your Confessor and our Father, mercifully grant that by his prayers we may be provided against all temporal necessities and daily improve in all spiritual good. This we ask through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  AUGUST 8

SOLEMNITY

Five Marks of Authentic Devotion to Mary

We shall now briefly describe what true devotion is.

It is:

1. interior

2. trustful

3. holy

4. constant

5. disinterested

First, true devotion to our Lady is interior, that is, it comes from within the mind and the heart and follows from the esteem in which we hold her, the high regard we have for her greatness, and the love we bear her.

Second, it is trustful, that is to say, it fills us with confidence in the Blessed Virgin, the confidence that a child has for its loving Mother. It prompts us to go to her in every need of body and soul with great simplicity, trust and affection. We implore our Mother's help always, everywhere, and for everything. We pray to her to be enlightened in our doubts, to be put back on the right path when we go astray, to be protected when we are tempted, to be strengthened when we are weakening, to be lifted up when we fall into sin, to be encouraged when we are losing heart, to be rid of our scruples, to be consoled in the trials, crosses and disappointments of life. Finally, in all our afflictions of body and soul, we naturally turn to Mary for help, with never a fear of importuning her or displeasing our Lord.

Third, true devotion to our Lady is holy, that is, it leads us to avoid sin and to imitate the virtues of Mary. Her ten principal virtues are: deep humility, lively faith, blind obedience, unceasing prayer, constant self-denial, surpassing purity, ardent love, heroic patience, angelic kindness, and heavenly wisdom.

Fourth, true devotion to our Lady is constant. It strengthens us in our desire to do good and prevents us from giving up our devotional practices too easily. It gives us the courage to oppose the fashions and maxims of the world, the vexations and unruly inclinations of the flesh and the temptations of the devil. Thus a person truly devoted to our Blessed Lady is not changeable, fretful, scrupulous or timid. We do not say however that such a person never sins or that his sensible feelings of devotion never change. When he has fallen, he stretches out his hand to his Blessed Mother and rises again. If he loses all taste and feeling for devotion, he is not at all upset because a good and faithful servant of Mary is guided in his life by faith in Jesus and Mary, and not by feelings.

Fifth, true devotion to Mary is disinterested. It inspires us to seek God alone in his Blessed Mother and not ourselves. The true subject of Mary does not serve his illustrious Queen for selfish gain. He does not serve her for temporal or eternal well-being but simply and solely because she has the right to be served and God alone in her. He loves her not so much because she is good to him or because he expects something from her, but simply because she is lovable. That is why he loves and serves her just as faithfully in weariness and dryness of soul as in sweet and sensible fervor. He loves her as much on Calvary as at Cana. How pleasing and precious in the sight of God and his holy Mother must these servants of Mary be, who serve her without any self-seeking. How rare they are nowadays! It is to increase their number that I have taken up my pen to write down what I have been teaching with success both publicly and in private in my missions for many years.

I have already said many things about the Blessed Virgin and, as I am trying to fashion a true servant of Mary and a true disciple of Jesus, I have still a great deal to say, although through ignorance, inability, and lack of time, I shall leave infinitely more unsaid.

But my labor will be well rewarded if this little book falls into the hands of a noble soul, a child of God and of Mary, born not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor of the will of man. My time will be well spent if, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, after having read this book he is convinced of the supreme value of the solid devotion to Mary I am about to describe. If I thought that my guilty blood could help the reader to accept in his heart the truths that I set down in honor of my dear Mother and Queen, I, her most unworthy child and slave, would use it instead of ink to write these words. I would hope to find faithful souls who, by their perseverance in the devotion I teach, will repay her for the loss she has suffered through my ingratitude and infidelity.

I feel more than ever inspired to believe and expect the complete fulfillment of the desire that is deeply engraved on my heart and what I have prayed to God for over many years, namely, that in the near or distant future the Blessed Virgin will have more children, servants and slaves of love than ever before, and that through them Jesus, my dear Lord, will reign more than ever in the hearts of men.

I clearly foresee that raging beasts will come in fury to tear to pieces with their diabolical teeth this little book and the one the Holy Spirit made use of to write it, or they will cause it at least to lie hidden in the darkness and silence of a chest and so prevent it from seeing the light of day. They will even attack and persecute those who read it and put into practice what it contains. But no matter! So much the better! It even gives me encouragement to hope for great success at the prospect of a mighty legion of brave and valiant soldiers of Jesus and Mary, both men and women, who will fight the devil, the world, and corrupt nature in the perilous times that are sure to come.

"Let the reader understand. Let him accept this teaching who can."

Source:http://www.americaneedsfatima.org