Province of Spain – AGMONT meeting in Barcelona
Marian Spirituality in Saint Louis Mª Grignion de Montfort
On 30 April, at 6 p.m., the first face-to-face meeting of AGMONT (Montfort Gabrielite Associates) was held at the Sant Gabriel School in Barcelona, to attend the conference programmed by the Montfort Foundation: Marian Spirituality in Saint Louis Mª Grignion de Montfort.
The speaker, Fr. Francisco Javier Recabaren, a priest of the Brotherhood of the Sons of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, of the Archdiocese of Toledo, shared with us, in very simple words, the personal experience he had, during his postulancy in Chile, of the need for Mary in the life of the Christian, when he prepared his Consecration to Mary before coming to Spain. And he did so with the book of St. Louis Mª Griginion de Montfort, The Secret of Mary, in his hands.
He confessed that the first thing that struck him about the book “The Secret of Mary” is how it reflects the missionary spirit of St. Louis, and how the Saint wanted everyone to know this secret, to guide souls where to walk, where to look, so that they could find the source of spiritual life. And he stated that the one to look to, undoubtedly, is Mary.
And the second thing he stops to consider is the word secret, which for him suggests something intimate, reserved for a few; but he quickly clarifies that secret does not mean that it is something reserved for a few VIPs, but that only a few discover it, because a secret is more difficult to perceive than a message. A secret is a shortcut; and a shortcut is difficult to know, because it requires knowing very well the place and the streets where one walks. The greatest difficulty in knowing the secret, according to Montfort, is the lack of humility, because people, in general, prefer more sublime things. To discover the secret we have to be humble of heart, to know that we are poor instruments of our Mother.
He explained that the book Secret of Mary has a theoretical part where theological foundations are presented, to state the truths of the Church, and a second practical part that orients our life.
Why is Mary necessary? Because, as the Church confesses, she is the Mother of God, the Virgin, Assumed into Heaven and Mother of the Church.
St. Louis puts Mary at the centre of the spiritual life. She is the way by which the Son of God came and through her we can go to the Father. The Son of God was not only born in Mary, but also from Mary. What does this mean? That Mary is at the centre of God’s plan of salvation for man. God wanted it this way and wants it this way for us. This is in harmony with the Catholic faith. The Christian does not carry out his salvation, it is the Spirit of God who does it. But God likes to involve his children in his work. He always seeks the participation of the human being.
God works through us when we pray, in what we do day by day. God’s grace is absolutely necessary and God gives us all sufficient grace; but in order to obtain the grace necessary to be saints, we must find Mary, for it is to her that God, by giving her Son, gave all the graces. And He wants us to walk to heaven not only hand in hand with Christ, but with a Mother.
This is why St. Louis tells us that, just as Jesus came into the world through Mary, so at the end of time it will be Mary who will help the Christian people to see the light again, to bring back the Son of God.
Mary becomes more and more present through apparitions and in the writings of the popes. An example of this is Mother Teresa of Calcutta, for it is Mary who helps her to understand that she must give herself completely to the poor when Jesus tells her: “I’m thirsty!”
In the face of these truths, Fr Recabaren says that we can make a few considerations:
1- That we must keep the Virgin Mary present in our hearts. That she should be our natural place or, acconding to the images used by Father de Montfort, our orchard, our garden… That we should look at her as Saint Louis looks at her, as our refuge in the storms.
2- That we must give ourselves entirely as slaves to Mary in order to reach Jesus. A slave has no salary and no other life than that of a slave; he is not like a servant who asks for a salary for his services. The slave gives himself completely, but it is a slavery of love, because devotion to Mary makes the soul truly free. For St Louis, God’s command is lived in Mary. It is to place everything in her hands. It is a total self-giving which goes hand in hand with baptism. This slavery deepens, digs into and seals our baptism. In Mary, baptism is lived radically. And it is not only spirituality that is given to her, but also the most concrete and everyday things, knowing that our whole life is in her hands.
3- That by looking at Mary, the star of the seas, and in Mary, who is the good administrator of God’s gifts, we are transformed into souls like her. The souls who have consecrated themselves to Mary have a special seal.
Thus, this devotion consists in doing all things with Mary, in Mary, through Mary and for Mary, because she is the only one chosen by God to unite souls to Jesus. Mary makes our soul live in Jesus and Jesus in our soul.
Just as through Mary God came into the world in humility and self-abasement, could it not also be said that through Mary He will come the second time, as the whole Church expects Him to do, to reign everywhere?
After these reflections by Fr Recabaren, we celebrated the Eucharist, thanking God and our Mother for having allowed us to have again a personal meet-p. And finally, we gave free rein to our joy in the relaxed conversations we had in the school dining room, while we enjoyed some canapés and toasted to the happy and long-awaited reunion.
MCG Formation Team
