According to Saint Louis de Montfort, there are seven types of false devotion to Mary and this post is about the fifth type, that of the inconstant devotees. Please refer to False Devotion to Mary – (4) to link back to and read about the four other types.
False Devotion to Mary – Inconstant Devotees
Inconstant devotees are people who devote themselves to Mary in on and off spurts; their devotion comes and goes in waves. They go from fervent to lukewarm, depending on whichever way the wind happens to be blowing. One minute they are completely tuned in and ready to please Our Lady, and then all of a sudden they shift gears and lose interest. These people start out all fired up and eager to practice every devotion to Our Lady. But though they join her confraternities, they do not faithfully follow all the rules.
In the words of St. Louis de Montfort: “They are as … [Read More...]
My last post, Escape from Bondage – Part Two, will make reading this one a bit easier. And the one before that is called Escape from Bondage which I also recommend that you read, prior to Part Two. I started out thinking that this topic was going to fit into a single post and that I would wrap it up within 500-700 words or so. But after I wrote the first one, I realized that there was way too much material and more that needed to be said; so I added Parts Two and Three.
My Own Escape from Bondage Story
Well, I have a few of those stories. But the latest one occurred a year ago this month and I am still experiencing the repercussions from it. It involved a change of direction and more importantly, a complete change of mind and heart. It had been a long time coming, but up until that point, I had no … [Read More...]
Yesterday I wrote a post called Escape from Bondage and this is Part Two of it. Since I’d run out of space and time yesterday, my original idea was to continue where I left off. But as it turns out, the direction I’d intended to go with this has somewhat shifted, and so there just may end up being a Part Three.
I had no idea (though I admit I did wonder) what filth I would find my post sandwiched between in the Google search results. Well, I found out. And it JUST PROVES MY POINT that bondage is a real, chronic, spiritual problem that is leading to all sorts of perversities in our society today. And the escape from bondage, according to what I had the misfortune of viewing, is probably requiring even more prayers and graces than I had originally thought. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I am horrified at the degree of sick … [Read More...]
Today I was thinking about the fact that in order to escape from bondage, we first have to find favor with the Lord. Bondage is the opposite of freedom and it can take many forms. There are several verses in the Bible that speak of this. My Bible uses the word slavery when referring to bondage, but it means the same thing. One of my favorite passages that speaks of bondage and the escape from bondage is:
“They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for whatever oppresses a man, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn … [Read More...]
In this post we’ll talk about the fourth false devotion to Mary which is that of the presumptuous devotees. In my previous post we talked about the superficial devotees. And in case someone is reading this for the first time and has not read the other False Devotion to Mary posts, it was Saint Louis de Montfort who told us that there are seven false devotions to Mary. He has written: ” Mary has authority over the angels and the blessed in heaven. As a reward for her great humility, God gave her the power and the mission of assigning to saints the thrones made vacant by the apostate angels who fell away through pride.” Bearing that in mind, how can we not give Mary the true devotion that she deserves? And by abusing our devotion to her, we are also abusing the desires of her own Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
False Devotion to Mary – Presumptuous Devotees… [Read More...]
I was looking through a prayer booklet this evening and came across three peace prayers that I thought I should post on this blog.
FOR PEACE IN THE FAMILY
Lord Jesus, my family needs Your help today. We need Your peace and tranquility, an end to discord. Give us strength and compassion to understand each other, wisdom and love to help each other, and the trust and patience we need to live peacefully together. Grant that, through the intercession of Your mother, Mary, and St. Joseph, our family too may become a holy family, a family that works together as one, a family that embraces peace and love, a family whose members are dedicated to each other and to You. Amen.
CONSECRATION OF THE FAMILY
Almighty Father, we consecrate ourselves and our home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus who loves us with a tender and everlasting love. Strengthen us with Your grace that we might return His love in … [Read More...]
My mother gave this Rudyard Kipling poem to me the day I graduated from high school. (Well, actually, it’s adapted from the Rudyard Kipling poem; this one is by Gale Baker Stanton.) I’ve held onto her hand written copy of it all these years. She told me that this was written specifically as an inspirational piece for young women and that it is one of two versions; the other version was written for young men. When I was younger, parts of this annoyed me because I thought it was sort of “goody-goody” and it seemed as if it was promoting an unattainable goal that no average person could possibly achieve. (especially the part that talks about winning or nearing your goal.) But as I matured and the years went by, I started viewing it from a whole different perspective and began to appreciate its full meaning and the little bits of wisdom that are weaved into the words. I think … [Read More...]
What does an apparition of Mary have to do with my psychiatrist appointment yesterday? Well, I’ll tell you. I’ll also tell you why I had to see a psychiatrist; this is a condensed version of a previous post that explains it:
My mother arranged for a priest (who is actually a monsignor, and the head of his parish) to come to my home to give it a house blessing and then followed up with him shortly after to thank him for his time but also to let him know that his efforts were fruitless. (You can refer back to an earlier post that I wrote explaining what had happened and why I steered clear of calling him myself.) The priest asked her questions about my personal habits and tendencies, state in life, and whether or not I’d been to see a psychiatrist. He explained to her that in order to proceed to the next step which could quite possibly involve … [Read More...]
According to Saint Louis de Montfort, there are seven false devotions to Mary. In two of my previous posts I talked about the critical devotees and the scrupulous devotees. In this post I will talk about the third false devotion to Mary which is that of the superficial devotees. We have to keep in mind that all of these false devotions come from the evil one, Satan, who is like a thief, waiting for the opportune moment to catch us off guard and poison our minds with his lies and deceitful ways. As St. Louis de Montfort wrote: “People, richer in grace and virtue, more experienced and advanced in holiness than we are, have been caught off their guard and robbed and stripped of everything.”
We live in a world full of spiritual contamination and moral corruption. It is a constant challenge trying to keep our faith intact without being led astray by the evil spirits who … [Read More...]
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Hello, my name is Margo. When I was 23 years old and working as a part-time nanny in New York City I had the pleasure of caring for a little 5-year-old boy named Alexander. One day I had been overcome with sadness and in a weak moment, I found myself confiding to this little boy about a friend I couldn't find because he was lost. Alexander, quickly responded without missing a beat, “Follow a trail!” [