Magnificat Vol. LVIII, No. 1 23 Saint Louis Mary de Montfort’s great strength was the fruit of his devotion to the Blessed Vir‐ gin. He is the pre‐eminent Marian Doctor. In inspired pages he explains devotion to Mary, the true devotion, with a depth unknown be‐ fore then. He advocates the practice of Holy Slavery, which is simply a total gift of self, body and soul, to the divine Mary. Everything be‐ longs to the Queen of Heaven, and She does with it whatever She wishes. The Saint explains this devotion in four words: “It is doing everything through Mary, with Mary, in Mary, and for Mary, in order to do it more perfectly through Jesus, with Jesus, in Jesus, and for Jesus.” (True Devotion to Mary, no. 257) “This devotion, faithfully practiced, produces countless happy effects in the soul. The most important gift that souls possess is to establish, even here on earth, the life of Mary in the soul, so that it is no longer the soul that lives, but Mary who lives in it. In a manner of speaking, Saint Loui s Mary de Montfort (1673‐1716) Two centuries before Saint Therese, on Janu‐ ary 31, 1673, another monument of sanctity was born in Brittany: Saint Louis Mary de Mont‐ fort. A seminal, powerful figure, perfect example of an evangelical man, ardent missionary and founder, zealous precursor of the Apostles of the Latter Times, prophet, Apostle of the Cross and Doctor of Mary: “good Father de Mont‐ fort”, as his friends, the poor, called him, has an impressive number of titles. An extraordinary though very simple man, he made of his life a total, constantly renewed gift to Jesus and Mary. His motto depicts him completely: GOD ALONE. Let us merely mention in passing – for the subject is far too vast3 – his untiring devotion to the poor, the sick and children, and his prodi‐ gious missionary work, carried out in spite of numerous difficulties. We will only consider Saint Louis Mary de Montfort in his capacity as a Doctor of the Church. He wears a triple crown: Apostle of Eternal Wisdom, Apostle of the Cross, Apostle of the Virgin Mary. The entire doctrinal teach‐ ing of the Saint can be summarized in these three key ideas. Jesus, Eternal Wisdom, who became a man to redeem His sinful brothers; the Redemptive Cross, proof of the Infinite Love of God for us; the Blessed Virgin Mary, the obli‐ gatory way to Jesus. Montfort meditated on these three main ideas at great length – indeed, throughout his entire life – deepening his un‐ derstanding of them in prayer and mortifica‐ tion. He lived this teaching and was penetrated by it. He expressed it in burning terms during his missions but also in several masterful works: Love of Eternal Wisdom; Letter to the Friends of the Cross; True Devotion to Mary; The Secret of Mary; The Secret of the Rosary; and hundreds of religious Hymns. 3. If you would like to know more about this great Saint, there is an excellent biography of St. Louis Mary de Montfort in the July-August 2016 issue of Magnificat. — Mary Queen of Hearts — Besides his famous motto, God alone, Montfort had another, Totus Tuus (All Thine), addressed to Mary, the obligatory way to Jesus.
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