Our Mother loves us

Father Romeo Salinas is Vocations Director
for the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

In his Preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus Christ Through Mary, St. Louis de Montfort states quite eloquently that "the spirit of the world is self-centered, self-seeking, self-serving, self-aggrandizing…. it is selfish, self-absorbed, and self-interested.  

He teaches, "Self-denial is a powerful and necessary means of combating the self-absorption and self-interest of the worldly spirit. Acts of self-denial begin to turn us away from worldly self-assertion and prepare us to make a genuine surrender of ourselves to Jesus through Mary" (pp. 16-17).   

St. de Montfort holds that we must place our strengths against the spirit of the world under the protective care of Our Lady, because "knowledge of Mary is a gift so great that it is nothing less than a privileged grace that one receives from the hand of the Almighty Himself" (p.69). 

We must open our hearts to her and acknowledge our need for grace to the generosity of Our Lady. We must strive to understand that her intentions and her love are pure.  We must experience Mary as a mother and a queen directly and lovingly involved in our lives.  

Our Lady is grace, beyond our ability to fathom. "Divine love so penetrated and filled the soul of Mary that no part of her was left untouched, so that she loved with her whole heart, with her whole soul, and her whole strength, and was full of grace" (St. Bernard of Clairvaux). 

All graces come from Mary to us.  God made her the sole keeper of His graces and the sole dispenser of them.  She can lead us along the narrow path to heaven.  Through our prayers to her, we learn to know and love God. 

St. Faustina said of the Blessed Mother, " I have experienced an increasing devotion to the Mother of God.  She has taught me how to love God interiorly and also how to carry out His holy will in all things.  Oh, Mary, you are my joy, because through you God descended to earth [and] into my heart" (Diary #21).    

Mary is also our greatest Protectress. She is the most fearful enemy that God has set up against the devil. He gave His Mother such tremendous power to defeat this mortal enemy of man that Satan fears her above all.  "Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary" (St. Bonaventure).  

The Immaculate alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan.  She seeks souls that will consecrate themselves entirely to her, that will become in her hand's forceful instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spread of God's kingdom" (St. Maximillian Kolbe).  

At the mention of this name (Mary), the angels rejoice and the devils tremble; through this invocation, sinners obtain grace and pardon." (St. Peter Canisius).  

Mary is the most perfect and most holy of all beings.  When our Lord chose this humble virgin as His Mother, He exalted her above all.  Through Mary, we draw closer to God without fear of rejection.  She is a perfect spiritual vessel; a vessel of honor and devotion.  She loves us, guides and protects us and intercedes for us.  She is the Mediatrix of all graces that we receive from God. 

Mary is the perfect disciple; the light of God; and an excellent instructress for us. She teaches us to prepare for Jesus with pure and loving hearts filled with deep devotion; filled with a spirit of acceptance and obedience, simplicity and self-sacrifice.  Not only must we surrender ourselves totally to God, but we must also totally surrender ourselves to Mary.

The more dedicated we are to do God's will, the greater the portion of holiness we will possess to share with her.   We must remember to pray our rosaries daily, for the 15 promises of the rosary she gave to us are incredibly powerful.  

Mary, free us from danger; console us when we are troubled; bring us relief when we are ill or filled with anxiety; strengthen us in time of need; help us always to thank God for our blessings and bring us ever closer to Jesus.

Help us promote prayer in our homes and families, for this establishes a sanctuary where we are better able to hear the call of God for vocations.  Help us remember we all have a common vocation whether called to the priesthood, the consecrated life, the single life, or married life.  Our common vocation is to be holy; to do God’s will; to promote the ordained life and religious life by encouraging and nurturing those discerning the call of God; and to promote love of God always.  

Holiness is everyone’s vocation, as is knowledge that God is the source of all goodness and truth.