The Man that Changed my Life: Saint Louis Marie de Montfort

There are three Saints who have most deeply and irreversibly changed my life through their lives and writings.  Two of them are: Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori and Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face.  But I owe much more to another Saint...the one that started it all, and without whom I would never have come to know these other two Saints and who has more deeply changed my life than anything else in my life (except for my Grandfather (Requiem aeternam), a saintly priest I know, and the reception of the Sacraments, which/who all prepared me to meet this Saint). 

Saint Louis Marie de Montfort knew very well the power of the book he wrote and the devotion it contained and he knew that the devil would do everything he could do to prevent its being published:

“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.” (True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, #114)

And indeed this came to pass for this amazing work, written in 1712, was hidden away with other writings of his in order to survive the terrible scourge of the French Revolution even at one point being buried in a field until at last it was uncovered in 1842.  Almost immediately after being discovered it came before the reigning Pope at the time: Pope Gregory XVI, who just 4 years earlier on September 7th 1838 had declared Montfort Venerable, and he called for its immediate publication and promoted it without qualification.  Since then it has been published many different times and in 20 languages.  Today, one can easily find out if a Catholic publisher is orthodox by checking to see if they publish this exceptional work.

And every Pope since has not only promoted but practiced this devotion:

“The is the best and most acceptable form of devotion to our Blessed Lady”

-Blessed Pope Pius IX

“I heartily recommend True Devotion to Mary, and to all who read it I grant the apostolic Benediction.”

-Pope Saint Pius X

“Small in size but of what great authority and what great sweetness.  May it be spread every more and still more, and rekindle the Christian spirit in souls in ever growing numbers.”

-Pope Benedict XV

“I have practiced this devotion every since my youth.”

-Pope Pius XI

“The force and unction of the words of Mary’s servants have no only touched but captivated and converted many souls.”

-Venerable Pope Pius XII

“Reading this book was a deceive turning point in my life.  This perfect devotion is indispensable to anyone who means to give himself without reserve to Christ and to the work of redemption.”

-Blessed Pope John Paul II

And my favorite Pope: Leo XIII (between Pius IX and Pius X) gave a great evidence of his approval of this devotion when he renewed his consecration to Mary according to this method as one of his last acts on his death bed.

I had no idea in January of 2005 what I was in for when my dear friend Marie Ann asked me if I wanted to do the “consecration to Mary”.  I had no idea what she was talking about and usually I am very reluctant to undertake new devotions or practices without fully understanding them, but I immediately responded with an affirmative.  I still almost missed out when she forgot I was one of the interested parties and I just happened to be in the building just when the first meeting was starting.  It is clear that our Lady was looking out for me as it has become clear that she has been all along even since my very birth when she had me come a bit early so that I could be born on her own birthday.

If one reads this book with and open and prayerful heart and embraces this devotion which is more a way of life than just a mere devotion you will become a saint.  I have seen the incredible power of conversion in my own life and this even when I have been all too often half hearted in my love and devotion to our Lord and our Lady through this devotion.  I can’t imagine where I would be today without this devotion, but I know I would never have grown in my faith to the point of spending two years in Seminary and I would never have met and connected so immediately with my best friend who also had made this consecration.
 

This book and the devotion contained therein has saved my life, and I believe that if I do my best to persevere in it until the end of my earthly life that I will be assisted by our Lady to her Son and everlasting life, and just so if I were to abandon it I will surely be lost.  This is why I pray for perseverance in this devotion each day and it is a prayer we all ought to make each day that we may persevere until the end in sanctifying grace.

"He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting." -Ecclesiasticus 24:30-31