Today is the memorial of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, the French priest whose love for and devotion to our Blessed Mother is legendary. He was born January 31, 1673, and died April 28, 1716. If you're not familiar with St. Louis de Montfort and his spirituality, Fr. Patrick Gaffney, S.M.M. has written an excellent article called "An Overview Of The Life And Spirituality Of Saint Louis De Montfort" that's well worth reading. The Montfortian Religious Family has a Web site listing St. Louis' many writings, which are still widely read today, and Catholic Culture provides some links to those writings available on the Web. One of my favorite passages from the treasures of St. Louis follows. St. Louis, teach us true devotion to Mary so that she may help us become more like her, a faithful echo of God!
Mary is an echo of God, speaking and repeating only God. If you say "Mary," she says "God." When St. Elizabeth praised Mary calling her blessed because she had believed, Mary, the faithful echo of God, responded with her Canticle, "My soul glorifies the Lord." What Mary did on that day, she does every day. When we praise her, when we love and honor her, when we present anything to her, then God is praised, honored and loved and receives our gift through Mary and in Mary.
~St. Louis Marie de Montfort, True Devotion to Mary, #225
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