IVE Third Order

05/01/2020

meditation for the 4th Day of preparation.

Fourth Day: May 1, 2020

Treatise of True Devotion to the Virgin Mary: [1-13]

Mary is a mystery. St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort begins by formulating a truth of Faith that will be the center and source of the whole Treatise: “Through the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ came into the world, and through her He must reign in the world.”

The saint himself confirms what was said with the authority of the Fathers of the Church, among whom St. Augustine said: “The world was unworthy to receive the Son of God directly from the hands of the Father. He gave him to Mary so that the world would receive Him through her.”

By a divine design, Mary is, for every man, a necessary means of salvation. And from this it follows that God has made her his best creature. God indeed grants the goods of grace necessary according to the responsibility he entrusts someone with. What goods had to be granted to Blessed Virgin Mary to be the Mother of God! Saint Eucherius said: “Do you want to know what the Mother is like? Look at how the Son is.” And St. Louis Marie, full of wonder in front of this truth, exclaims: “She is a worthy Mother of God! Here all tongues are silent!” Every tongue shall be silent because Mary is an inexhaustible mystery of grace, impossible to enclose in our limited minds. So greatly has God enriched her with His gifts that St. Louis says: “Neither the eye saw, nor the ear heard (1 Cor. 2: 9), nor did the heart of man come to contemplate the beauties, greatness and privileges of Mary, the greatest miracle of grace, of nature and of glory!”

“Mary is not sufficiently known.” This lament of St. Louis Marie is founded on the consideration of her mission as Mother of God. The gifts received to fulfill this mission are so high that there is no human mind capable of understanding them. “It is therefore just and due to repeat with the saints: DE MARIA NUMQUAM SATIS [there is never enough of Mary].” Mary has not been sufficiently praised, exalted, honored, loved and served. She deserves more praise, respect, love and service. It is also necessary to “repeat after the Holy Spirit: ‘All the glory of the daughter of the king is within’ (Ps 45:14) meaning that all the external glory, which is attributed to heaven and earth, would be nothing compared to that which she receives internally from the Creator and that is not known by the poor creatures, who cannot pe*****te into the most intimate secret of the King.” (TD 11)

Mary has to be known better. Revealing the theological motive that led him to write the Treatise, St. Louis also reveals the need for every Catholic to renew the desire to embrace this devotion:

“My heart has dictated with special joy all that I have written to show that Mary has been unknown up till now, and this is one of the reasons why Jesus Christ is still not known as he should be. If then, as is certain, the knowledge and the kingdom of Jesus Christ must come into the world; it can only be as a necessary consequence of the knowledge and reign of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she who first gave him to the world will establish his kingdom in the world.”

Meditation

Note: Saint Louis Marie suggest starting the time of preparation with some Spiritual Exercises (examination of conscience, penance, fasting, prayer, purity of heart) in order to “get rid of the spirit of the world, contrary to the spirit of Jesus Christ.” While a retreat might be the best way to accomplish this goal of purification, it is not strictly necessary. Instead, we recommend dedicating—with joy and a great freedom of spirit—about ten minutes each day to the reading and recollected meditation of a daily passage. A different passage with some corresponding prayers can be found here each of the remaining days of this time of preparation. The time of prayer can be undertaken immediately after viewing the video or reading the passage based on the True Devotion, but could take place later in the day as well.

For the next ten days, the meditation will conclude with the Litany of Humility (humility being the virtue that distinguishes the Christian from worldliness).

To maximize the fruits to be gained during this time of prayer, we suggest you adhere to the following steps:

1) I will place myself in the presence of God.

2) Then I ask for the grace of having a great desire to be pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, and to have eternal life as the only goal of my most important choices, without letting myself be seduced by the spirit of the world.

3) Finally, read the text below and then spend a brief period of time reflecting on it.

The spirit of world

(We will follow Antonio Royo Marín’s, Theology of the Christian Perfection).

What is the world? It consists of the anti-Christian climate that forms between the people who live without thinking about God and who are dedicated only to the things of the earth. The world is therefore an atmosphere that involves people in a way of thinking, of wishing and worrying only about earthly goods, and consequently living a life merely mundane, without considering eternal life. Christ came to teach us the doctrine of his “True Life.”

We read: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins that he might rescue us from the present evil age in accord with the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. (Gal 1:3-5).

The worldly attitude is described still with greater accuracy by Our Lord himself: There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God. (Lk. 12:16-21).

Foolishness consists in dedicating oneself only to attaining worldly goods and not those for eternal life. Consider the example of Jesus on the cross.

4) Pray the Litany. We will ask in the first ten days the virtue of humility, which distinguished the greatest saints.

Litany of Humility

(By Servant of God Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val)

Lord have mercy—Lord have mercy

Christ have mercy—Christ have mercy

Lord have mercy—Lord have mercy

Jesus, meek and humble of heart—Hear me.

O Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, Make my heart like unto Thine.

From the desire of being esteemed—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being loved—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being extolled—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being honored—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being praised—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being preferred to others—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being consulted—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being approved—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being despised—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of suffering rebukes—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being calumniated—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being forgotten—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being ridiculed—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being wronged—Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being suspected—Deliver me, O Jesus.

Jesus, grant me—The knowledge and love of my nothingness

Jesus, grant me—The perpetual remembrance of my sins

Jesus, grant me—The awareness of the persuasion of my stinginess

Jesus, grant me—The aversion for all vanity

Jesus, grant me—The pure intention to serve God

Jesus, grant me—The perfect submission to the will of the Father

Jesus, grant me—The true spirit of compunction

Jesus, grant me—The decided obedience to my superiors

Jesus, grant me—The holy hatred of all envy and jealousy

Jesus, grant me—The promptness in the forgiveness of offenses

Jesus, grant me—The prudence in being quiet before the business of others

Jesus, grant me—Peace and charity with and for all

Jesus, grant me—The ardent desire for being disdained and for humiliations

Jesus, grant me—The want to be treated like You and the grace to know how to accept it in a saintly manner.

That others may be loved more than I—Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I—Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease—Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be chosen and I set aside—Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be praised and I go unnoticed—Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be preferred to me in everything—Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should—Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

O Mary, Queen and Mother of the humble—plead for me.

Saint Joseph, protector and model of the humble—plead for me.

Saint Michael Archangel, who was the first to take down the proud—plead for me.

All the Saints, sanctified by the spirit of humility—plead for me.

Let us pray—Lord Jesus, who being God humbled yourself unto death and death by the cross, as to be a perennial example that confounds our pride and self-love, grant us the grace to imitate Your example so that, humbling ourselves as we should to our misery on earth, we may be exalted to enjoy You eternally in Heaven. Amen

May Jesus Christ reign through the Virgin Mary!

Religious Family of the Incarnate Word
Province of the Immaculate Conception, USA

05/01/2020

On this 4th day of preparation we begin looking at the “True Devotion” systematically beginning with paragraphs 1-13. There, St. Louis de Montfort states his...

04/30/2020

In this video for the third day of preparation, we consider a number of general aspects of the consecration such as the effects of making the consecration, t...

04/30/2020

Day Three of the

Third Day: April 30, 2020
Today is our final day of introduction, and tomorrow (May 1st) we will begin the meditations. In today’s points we summarize what the consecration consists of and what are the commitments of this devotion. We will conclude with the testimony of St. John Paul the Great.

First, the recipients of the Treatise are the humble. The commitments are not many or tiring to follow. We must strive to pe*****te the mystery of the Virgin Mary and this does not belong to the “sages” of the time of Saint Louis, but to the simple and the humble. Therefore Montfort will use rather simple language.

“Were I speaking to the so-called intellectuals of today, I would prove at great length by quoting the Holy Scripture, the holy Fathers, whose Latin passages I would refer to, and by several solid arguments, that I am now stating so simply…But I am speaking especially to the poor and simple who, being of good will and having more faith than the wise, believe more simply and more meritoriously.” (True Devotion, 26)
What will be presented about Our Lady is a mystery of Faith and only the humble of heart adhere to the mysteries of Faith.

Second: Concrete Commitments Once you manage to pe*****te the wonderful secret of True Devotion to Mary, and become her servant—to be Christ’s, all other commitments will be easy for you.

a) The first and greatest commitment is to recognize the greatness of Mary according to what Faith teaches us and to love her profoundly. To reach this goal we propose this month-long preparation.

b) After this consecration you will have to live your spirituality doing all your exterior and interior works for Mary, with Mary and in Mary. Offering the fruit of your works daily so that she can distribute them to those whom she wants, and present them to Jesus. In other words, “giving” the merits of your prayers and sacrifices to Mary, so that she may present them to her Son and distribute them as she wishes.
c) The “slave of Mary,” trusting in her motherly protection, constantly invokes her patronage. You can do it in many ways, internal and external: reciting the Rosary, wearing a medal of Mary or a chain as a sign of your “dignity as a slave” as she herself declared herself a slave by answering the angel: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. (Lk 1:38)

Third: Fruits of this consecration Saint Louis promises that the fruit of this devotion is nothing less than eternal salvation! And that the road to reach Heaven, which is always the Cross, will become sweeter and easier to carry because next to us will be our Heavenly Mother and with her and for her we will carry it. If only everyone knew this gift!

“Oh! But my labor will be well rewarded if this little writing falls into the hands of a noble soul, a child of God and of Mary, if it shows and inspires in him, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, the supreme value of the solid devotion to Mary, which I am about to describe! If I knew that my guilty blood could be used to bring into the heart the truths that I write in honor of my dear Mother and Sovereign Mistress, instead of ink, I would use it to write this letter.” (TD 112)

The Treatise is a true gift of God to reveal to us the mediation of Mary for our spiritual good. The prophecy that St. Louis Marie himself left in writing in the same booklet, and that was completed a century later, can help you to appreciate it better:

“I foresee many raging beasts, will come in fury to tear to pieces, with their diabolical teeth, this little writing and the one that the Holy Spirit made use of to write it, or at least they will cause it to lie hidden in the darkness and the silence of a chest, so that it will not be published…” (TD 114)

In fact, the manuscript of the Treatise was hidden for over a century. It was found in a chest during the turbulence of the French Revolution in 1842 and published for the first time in 1843.

Fourth: How do I actually prepare? During these coming thirty days, we propose a serene and simple way with which you will be able to prepare yourself sufficiently to become a “slave of love” of Jesus in Mary (for the reason of this title, see how the saint explains in paragraph 2441). It is a matter of preparing for a month, dedicating about 10 minutes each day to two points:

• The first is to consider a part of the True Devotion Treatise that we will summarize. We give the paragraph numbers that is considered, in case you prefer to read the text of the Treatise directly.

• The second point is to prepare yourself by considering some texts and reciting some prayers that we propose, always following the wise advice of St. Louis Marie.

It takes only a few minutes, so you should seek to be as recollected as possible. If you cannot be recollected, do not let yourselves be bound by scruples, rather try to observe the Lord’s precept: But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. (Mt 6:6). If one day you could not dedicate these 10 minutes you can spend more time the next day.

You will then have to make the effort to make this month of preparation every year, according to the indications of the Saint.2 We will also include an examination of conscience done by a Montfortian priest on the way of living the consecration, with which you can examine yourself throughout the year.

Conclusion: Totus tuus “I am all yours”

This Treatise has had an essential influence (i.e. a change of course, according to his words) in the spiritual life of Pope John Paul II. From this Treatise, other great saints like Saint Therese of Lisieux, Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe and Saint Hannibal of France have taken their Marian devotion. Mary has always formed her bravest soldiers; the fruit of giving oneself to her, in fact, is to receive her as a guide, protection and source of perseverance. Do you want to belong to the ranks of these great devotees? “This perspective encourages me and gives me hope for great success, that is, the formation of a legion of brave and valiant soldiers of Jesus and Mary, both men and women, who will fight the world, the devil and the corrupted nature, in the perilous times that are sure to come.” (TD 114)

If many embrace the True Devotion to Mary, we can rightly expect that Jesus will truly reign in the world. Such a Kingdom can come about only alongside His Mother.

There are many testimonies. We provide St. John Paul II’s personal testimony of the depth of this devotion:

“The reading of that book [referring to the Treatise] has given a decisive change in my life. I have said change, despite being a long internal journey that coincided with my clandestine preparation for the priesthood. Just then came this unique Treatise, one of those books that is not enough to ‘have read.’ I remember that I took it with me for a long time, also in the chemical factory, so its beautiful cover was stained with lime. I read and re-read certain passages continuously. I quickly realized that beyond the baroque form of the book, it spoke to something fundamental. It followed that the devotion of my childhood and also of my adolescence towards the Mother of Christ was replaced by a new attitude, a devotion coming from the depths of my faith, as well as from the very heart of the Trinitarian and Christological reality. Marian devotion molded in this way endures in me ever since. It is an integral part of my inner life and my spiritual theology.”3

May Jesus Christ reign through the Virgin Mary!

Religious Family of the Incarnate Word
Province of the Immaculate Conception, USA

https://www.iveamerica.org/2020/04/30/marian-consecration-april-30th-2020-day-3/

04/29/2020

Here's the meditation for Day 2!

Second Day: April 29, 2020

Our Lady is the secure path that always leads to her Son.

Someone will object (and unfortunately it is often said even by Catholics) that devotion to Mary hinders our union with Jesus. Sacred Scripture affirms that in Christ—and in no one else—is there salvation; “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” (Acts 2: 12).

Jesus is the Son of God. Mary is his creature. When are founded on the Word of God, we are certain that it is the will of the Son that the Mother is the Mediatrix of each of His saving works. As Saint John Paul II said, God wanted Mary to “actively collaborate” with her merits in the Incarnation, in the birth, in the Presentation at the Temple, in the thirty years of hidden life, and in the death of Jesus. At Cana of Galilee, Jesus obliged himself to carry out his first miraculous sign through the intercession of His Mother, and thus he fulfilled all his mysteries through Mary. If the Son of God wanted to submit himself in this way to the Mother: “How highly God is glorified when, to please Him, we submit to Mary, following the example of Jesus Christ, our only model!” exclaims Saint Louis Marie.

Therefore, if we want Christ to reign, there is only one way: “Jesus Christ began and continued his miracles through Mary and through Mary he will continue them until the end of time.” St. Augustine said: “The world was unworthy to receive the Son of God directly from the hands of the Father. He gave it to Mary so that the world would receive Him through her.”

This is a mystery unknown to many Christians; therefore, St. Louis Marie writes:
My heart has dictated with special joy all that I have written to show that Mary has been unknown up till now, and this is one of the reasons why Jesus Christ is still not known as he should be. If then, as is certain, the knowledge and the kingdom of Jesus Christ must come into the world; it can only be as a necessary consequence of the knowledge and reign of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She who first gave him to the world will establish his kingdom in the world. (True Devotion, 13)

May Jesus Christ reign through the Virgin Mary!

Religious Family of the Incarnate Word
Province of the Immaculate Conception, USA

04/29/2020

n it we consider a little of how the time of preparation should be spent in general as well as how Mary leads us to Jesus.

04/28/2020

Start your today!

With great joy and confidence in the intercession of the Virgin Mary, we invite you to offer this month to Our Heavenly Mother in preparation for consecration to Her. In doing so, we are filled with the lively hope that She may reign in the hearts of all. It is through Her, that Christ reigns in the whole world.

The preparation will follow the method of St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, who was a missionary in France. He wrote and gave to the Church his valuable text, “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.” Many Christians have followed his method including many saints.

In order to gain greater fruit from this consecration and in order to be a true slave of the Holy Virgin Mary, in imitation of Jesus Christ, we recommend dedicating—with joy and a great freedom of spirit—about ten minutes each day to these two points:

• The first is to consider a section of the Treatise of True Devotion which we will indicate for you.

• The second point consists in preparing oneself by the consideration of some texts and recitation of some prayers which will be proposed, always following the wise counsels of St. Louis Marie.

In conclusion, those who desire to embrace this particular form of devotion, should spend at least twelve days in freeing themselves from the spirit of the world, which is contrary to the spirit of Jesus Christ. Then, there are three weeks dedicated to filling one’s soul with the spirit of Jesus Christ by way of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

It only takes a few minutes each day to dedicate time to the points that we mentioned; therefore, each should seek to have the greatest possible recollection. Additionally, one must always keep in mind that the fruit of this consecration is a weapon that God gives to those who want to be saved…
If many embrace the True Devotion to Mary, we can rightly expect that Jesus will truly reign in the world. Such a Kingdom can come about only alongside His Mother.
“Treat me, Virgin Mary, as the last of your children and the first of your slaves.”

So that together we may say: Totus tuus, Maria! I am all yours, Mary!

Religious Family of the Incarnate Word
Province of the Immaculate Conception, USA

04/28/2020

Introduction to the preparation for consecration to Mary and explanation of the need for Devotion to our heavenly Mother.

04/09/2020

Looking for a Livestream Mass for the Holy Thursday?
Here are some more options from the Religious Family:

IVE Seminary - Maryland - 7:00pm (Eastern)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR0f_y3iKTw

Mount St. Mary's Grotto - Maryland - 7:00pm (Eastern)
https://www.facebook.com/grottooflourdes/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel&eid=ARBJn_aGx2W4SU-GC8LB363_df_WJnXA29vjuZ3LdrofHaDrCWjpkC4AdE23UNN5umwwP5zEoYbtSCaz

St. Bernard - Texas - 6:00pm (Central)
https://www.facebook.com/sbdallas.org

Our Lady of Peace - California - 7:00pm (Pacific)
https://www.olop-shrine.org/event/holy-thursday-2020/

Looking for a Livestream Mass for the Holy Thursday?
Here are some more options from the Religious Family:

IVE Seminary - Maryland - 7:00pm (Eastern)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR0f_y3iKTw

Mount St. Mary's Grotto - Maryland - 7:00pm (Eastern)
https://www.facebook.com/grottooflourdes/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel&eid=ARBJn_aGx2W4SU-GC8LB363_df_WJnXA29vjuZ3LdrofHaDrCWjpkC4AdE23UNN5umwwP5zEoYbtSCaz

St. Bernard - Texas - 6:00pm (Central)
https://www.facebook.com/sbdallas.org

Our Lady of Peace - California - 7:00pm (Pacific)
https://www.olop-shrine.org/event/holy-thursday-2020/

03/14/2020

Looking for a place to pray this Sunday because you cannot go to Mass? Come visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
Under the ordinary conditions of worthy reception, you can also take the chance to ask for Holy Communion.

Looking for a place to pray this weekend in DC/MD? Come visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

09/06/2019

Religious brothers and sisters from Maryland have come to Brooklyn to serve the diocese and invite the local community to Church.

08/04/2019