St. Louis De Montfort reminds us that Jesus came into the world through his holy Virgin Mother Mary, and following that line of spiritual reasoning, it is also through Mary that He has to reign in the world. This concept may seem strange and even be met with hesitance or hostility by those who are not of the Catholic faith. However, it will become very clear as we unpack many secrets and hidden truths in True Devotion to Mary.
Alma Mater is the name given to Mary by the Holy Spirit and the Church, and it means “Mother secret and hidden.” Mary was mysteriously hidden during her life. That is not to say that she was physically invisible to those around her, but rather it was God’s will that she be kept out of the public eye and unrecognizable as a person of great holiness and importance. Her profound humility caused her to hide herself not only from the public, but from herself as well. She was known only to God, and His will for her was perfectly aligned with hers, as she implored Him to keep her hidden, poor, and humble. In her conception, birth, life, mysteries, resurrection, and Assumption, God took great pleasure in keeping her hidden from humanity. Mary’s own parents did not know her as God knew her, and the angels marveled at this mysterious creation of His, for her true essence was also hidden from them. And even if God did reveal anything about her to those celestial beings, it was minor compared to what He kept secret.
It is fascinating to learn that God the Father willed that Mary was not to perform any public miracles during her life on earth, even though He had given her the power to do so. And although He consented that she should speak very little, God the Son conveyed His wisdom to her and favored her humility, loving her above the angels and all of humanity. For this reason alone it is perplexing to find so many non-Catholic Christians who show their utter disdain toward Mary and the Catholics who honor her, or at the very least they strongly disapprove of our relationship with the Mother of God. These confused souls fail to see Mary in the proper light, and sadly they expend so much emotion and energy in shaming Catholics for “Mary worship” instead of learning about her powerful role in our salvation. If Jesus loves her above all angels and humanity, wouldn’t it make sense that we, too, should love and honor her? We will discuss this further in future posts.
God the Holy Spirit consented that His Apostles and Evangelists would only speak of Mary insofar as making Jesus Christ known. She is the faithful spouse of the Holy Spirit, and He alone has entrance to her. St. Louis De Montfort tells us that Mary is the ‘“sealed fountain”’ which is referenced in Cant. 4:12, and he says:
Mary is the sanctuary and the repose of the Holy Trinity, where God dwells more magnificently and more divinely than in any other place in the universe, not excepting His dwelling between the Cherubim and Seraphim. Nor is any creature, no matter how pure, allowed to enter into that sanctuary except by a great and special privilege. (T.D., no. 5)
Terrestrial Paradise
St. Louis De Montfort speaks of Mary as the “terrestrial paradise of the New Adam.” God the Son became man through the Holy Spirit in order to perform inexplicable wonders. Mary is the glorious and awesome world of God—the splendor of the Most High—where there are indescribable treasures and charms. There He hid His only Son, and everything in Him that is magnificent and cherished. There are glorious and hidden things that God Almighty has formed in Mary, most admirable of creatures. In spite of her deep humility, she acknowledged this when she said: “He that is mighty hath done great things to me.” (Lk. 1:49) The things that Mary spoke of are unknown to the world because the world is not only unworthy, but it is also unable to comprehend such knowledge.
The saints have spoken highly of Mary, the holy city of God. They are at their peak of eloquence and contentment when they speak of her, and even still they cannot fathom her entire essence. It is impossible to grasp the full extent of her charity, which covers the entire earth and beyond, and her profound humility is a mystery that can never be entirely understood, as are all of her virtues and graces. The scope of her power is beyond comprehension, even inasmuch as her exercising it over God Himself. We will expand on this at length in future posts. For now, the important point to consider is that Mary is so precious to Our Lord that He has difficulty saying no to her whenever she asks Him for something on behalf of a soul. It is this very point that non-Catholic Christians, and even some Catholics, have difficulty processing. They may even feel hostility toward the very concept of God allowing His mysterious creation, Mary, to have such powers that He Himself cannot deny her pleas for a soul.
From one corner of the earth to another, from sea to sea, throughout the heavens, and even in the deepest abysses, everything and everyone publishes and proclaims the exemplary Mary. From the angels to the men and women of earth—all races, religions, and lifestyles, the good, the bad, and even the damned and the minions of the devil himself, whether willingly or unwillingly because of the mysterious powers of truth—cannot help but call her “Blessed.” St. Bonaventure says that all of the Angels of Heaven cry out to her, offering her the Angelical Salutation, which is Ave Maria. This salutation is offered many millions of times a day by these heavenly beings, and they prostrate themselves before Mary, imploring her to grant them the opportunity to serve her by honoring her with some of her commands. It is a sweet and lovely thought to ponder what St. Louis De Montfort shares regarding this:
Even St. Michael, as St. Augustine says, although the prince of the heavenly court, is the most zealous in honoring her and causing her to be honored, and is always anxiously awaiting the honor of going at her bidding to render service to some one of her servants. (T.D., no. 8)
Mary’s glory fills the entire world, and it is especially prominent among Christians because they know that she is their protectress. Throughout many kingdoms and right down to the smallest cities and beyond, Christians love and honor Mary. There are cathedrals worldwide that are consecrated to God under Mary. It is wonderful to know that no Catholic Church exists that does not have an altar in her honor, and from one corner of the world to another, there are many miraculous images of Mary that have brought about cures and special graces. Throughout the world there are innumerable confraternities, congregations, and orders that have been founded in Mary’s name and have her as their protectress. Right down to the smallest child, everyone who recites the Hail Mary praises her! Even the most hardened and stubborn of sinners cannot help but see Mary through a lens that allows for the smallest glimmer of hope in placing confidence in her. And even the creatures of Hell—the devil himself—cannot help but respect and fear her.
In spite of all of our well-intentioned efforts and love in praising, honoring, respecting, and serving her, we have still not given her enough. Our littleness and unworthiness does not provide us with the slightest glimpse into what the Lord showers upon her. The entire world and Heaven combined, as they outwardly glorify her, cannot compare to what she receives from God that is kept hidden from creatures who are unable to comprehend the “secret of secrets of the King.” (T.D., no. 11)
St. Louis De Montfort brims with joy as he continually reminds us of Mary’s beauties, charms, graces, grandeurs, and endless miracles—so many indescribable traits and treasures that she alone possesses. He tells us that up to this time, Mary has been unknown. By that he means that her true essence and role in our salvation has been unknown. And he goes on to say that this is one of the reasons Jesus Christ is not known as He should be.
There is so much to ponder here. First, we must consider that “up to this time” refers to centuries ago when St. Louis De Montfort wrote those words. But then we must ask ourselves, is that what he really meant? Or was he perhaps writing those words for a future generation who at that time had yet to be born? Also, we must understand that Mary is the surest way to Jesus. Souls can certainly find Jesus without Mary, but they will endure many challenges, hardships, setbacks, and countless other types of obstacles as they work their way toward salvation without her. If Mary is the clear path to her Son, why wouldn’t a soul choose to find Jesus through her? Even many saints who were not especially devoted to the Blessed Mary had a difficult time throughout their lives as they struggled with all kinds of adversities.
To sum it all up, I will end this post with these words of our beloved saint:
If then, as is certain, the knowledge and the kingdom of Jesus Christ are to come into the world, they will be but a necessary consequence of the knowledge and the kingdom of the most holy Virgin Mary, who brought Him into the world for the first time, and will make His second advent full of splendor. (T.D., no. 13)
