"What I struggle with is the idea of, as St. Louis de Montfort, that seems to make Mary a necessary mediator to Jesus. I can understand a love for Mary and a desire to be close with her, but I don't understand the seeming stern necessity that Montfort makes of devotion to Mary."
1. Somewhere — I forget where — Balthasar notes that while many come to Jesus through Mary, others, like John the beloved disciple, come to Jesus first and are then given to Mary. If going to Jesus through Mary strikes a Protestant as idolotrous, then going to Mary through Jesus would sound absurd, impractical, and pointless... as has been pointed out to me on more than one occasion online.
2. Fr. Giussani taught me to pray, "veni Sancte Spiritus, veni per Mariam" - come Holy Spirit, come through Mary. Fr. Giussani always insisted that the method of encountering Christ today is the same as for the apostles. The Father sent the Son to the world through Mary originally, and gives Jesus to us today through Mary. This echoes in a way, what Balthasar says at the head of The Threefold Garland: "Christian prayer can attain to God only along the path that God himself has trod; otherwise it stumbles out of the world and into the void, falling prey to the temptation of taking this void to be God or of taking God to be nothingness itself" (19).
3. Who is Mary? Mary is entirely human without stain of sin by the merit of Christ (just as David called Jesus Lord through the merit of Christ). She is the one who heard the Word of God, kept it, and gave birth to Him. Mary is the most human of mortals and thus closest to the deepest realms of our own hearts which groan beneath the crust of sin. In Mary, Jesus began the redemption of the human race. And humanity, the living fountain of humanity, is needed to recognize Christ...
4. Jesus is the mediator between God and God, but also between man and man. Jesus gives the forgiveness which makes friendship and marriage possible. In praying the Rosary and the Memorare in front of the Eucharist, I have discovered a new affection for the humanity of Christ.
PS. For whatever reason, I've never read de Montfort.
6 comments:
Very pithy & thoughtful post, thank you.
Thank you.
If you decide to read de Montfort, of course his True Devotion is considered the classic by most but I think you might enjoy his little booklet Secret of Mary, especially in light of this post. That and Love of Eternal Wisdom are my favorites from him.
And while I'm at it, I might as well add his Friends of the Cross to my list. Another good read.
I think I tried Montfort maybe 10 years, felt a little queasy.
I appreciate the recommendations, W. I have another friend who really likes de Montfort, so I'll give it another try...
Fred, thanks for posting your response. I'm coming to realize how true some of these points are. Sometimes I just need some 'splainin', is all. : ) I appreciate especially Point 1. I am one of those that has been given Mary by Jesus - and am only beginning to see the beauty of our Blessed Mother. Balthasar's Threefold Garland is a tremendous help in understanding the heart and soul behind Marian doctrine and prayer (all prayer is Marian, I think he proposes and explains) - simply and poetically. An excellent little book.
I have finished de Montfort's Secret of the Rosary and found it more palatable than True Devotion. (It's a good book and has encouraged me to begin a - rule is too strong a word - a greater discipline in praying the Rosary.) But I imagine I will try to tackle the latter book again soon.
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