MEDITATION VI Devotion to the Blessed Virgin
Project Gutenberg EPUB edition
Ignatius, of Loyola, Saint and Coppens, Charles
1st Prelude. See the Blessed Virgin exalted in Heaven, surrounded by the Saints and the Blessed of our Society.
2nd Prelude. Beg for an increase of devotion to her, invoking her under the title of Queen of the Society of Jesus.
POINT I. Why is all the Church so devoted to Mary? Because God wishes to be honored by man especially in connection with the grandest exhibition of His love for man, the mystery of the Incarnation. Now in this mystery Mary holds a most prominent place; she is the key to the proper understanding of it. Besides, as Jesus was given to mankind through Mary, so through her He is given to individual souls. Therefore the Church salutes her as “Mother of Divine Grace”; and many holy writers say that every grace comes to all individual souls through her intercession.
How do we know that God is pleased with so great a devotion to Mary?
1. From the constant teaching of the Church, which has applied to her such texts as these: “He that shall find me shall find life and shall have salvation from the Lord” (Prov. viii, 35); “They that work by me shall not sin” (Ecclus. xxiv, 30); etc.
2. From the Doctors of the Church, who have exhausted all their resources of learning to inculcate this devotion. Such are Sts. Augustine, Bernard, Liguori, Anthoninus, Bonaventure, etc.
3. From the workings of the Holy Ghost, who has fostered this devotion in the lives of numberless Saints and of other highly favored servants of God, as well as in the practice and prayers of the Church itself, and the unanimous teachings of her theologians.
4. From so many miracles performed through the invocation of the Blessed Virgin in every land.
POINT II. What part has our Society taken in fostering this devotion?
1. A most conspicuous part. For instance St. Ignatius ascribes his conversion to the vision he had of her, he made himself her Knight at Montserrat, he makes us meditate on her and pray to her in our retreats.
2. In the life and death of St. Stanislaus, St. Berchmans, St. Alphonsus, St. Francis Hieronymo and, in fact, all her Saints and her great men generally.
3. In her zeal to propagate devotions to Mary by means of her Sodalities, her devotions of the month of Mary, and countless writings of her ablest men. No one is considered as a worthy member of our Order who has not a marked devotion to Mary. How do I strive to honor her? Is there any practice that I used to perform in her honor that I have gradually abandoned? What improvement can I make in this respect?
POINT III. In what does devotion to Mary chiefly consist? It is an acquired habit, the result of countless acts of ours in compliance with the grace of God. Such are:
1. The devout celebration of her festivals, preparing for them by novenas and continuing them by the celebration of their octaves;
2. The daily recitation of the Rosary, or at least of the third part of it, the Beads, of the Litany of the Blessed Virgin and the Office of her Immaculate Conception;
3. The wearing of her scapular of Mount Carmel, and of medals blessed in her honor;
4. The recitation of set prayers to her at rising in the morning and retiring at night, at the sound of the Angelus bell, morning, noon and night;
5. Fervent invocations during the day, especially at the approach of temptations;
6. Reading and meditation on her prerogatives;
7. Conversing on the same, or in any way promoting her devotion. We can render no greater service to any one than to make him devout to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Are we doing as much as we can in this respect?
Colloquy with Mary, asking her guidance to learn to love her more and to lead many others to love her.