The Writings and Teachings of St. Louis-Marie de Montfort on the Theme of Christian Holiness
Feast day of St. Louis-Marie de Montfort, April 28
Introduction
St. Louis-Marie reveals
- (1) the source of holiness (the Most Blessed Trinity);
- (2) describes its origin (the Christian vocation);
- (3) indicates its authors (the Holy Spirit working through the Mother of the Redeemer);
- (4) reveals its marvelous secret (the true devotion to Mary);
- (5) proposes models of holiness (Christ, Mary, and the saints);
- (6) reminds us of the necessity of mankind's cooperation in order to acquire it (the virtues);
- (7) traces the development of its intensity (the three stages of the spiritual life); and
- (8) speaks to us of its final goal (eternal life in God).
(1) the source of holiness
The source of all holiness is the Most Blessed Trinity - the One and indivisible Triune Being who we know through the person of Christ our Lord. Montfort emphasizes the central role that Jesus plays in making us see that "in Him alone dwells the entire fullness of the divinity (Colossians 2:9) and the complete fullness of grace, virtue and perfection...in Him alone we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)
In a hymn dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Montfort invites all Christians to draw on the source of holiness in God our Savior: "This is the source of life / On whom all the saints have drawn, / This is the beautiful fire / In which their hearts were embraced / ... Here the most imperfect soul / Can easily become the most holy" (Montfortian Hymns: 40,
16, 18)
(2) the origin of holiness
Montfort reminds all who follow his spirituality that God wishes us to become saints on earth, like Christ, and to become a part of God's glory for all eternity. He says, "It is certain that growth in the holiness of God is your (Christian) vocation...Otherwise you are resisting God in not doing the work for which he is even now keeping you in being" (Secret of Mary: 3).
Our Christian vocation to holiness will be provided by the grace and help of God so that we can attain it: and Montfort lists the means of doing so - sincere humility, unceasing prayer, complete self-denial, abandonment to divine Providence, and obedience to the will of God. (Secret of Mary: 4-5)
(3) the authors of holiness
Montfort teaches that the authors of holiness is rooted in the "hidden relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the influence they exert on the Church. Montfort is noteworthy among spiritual theologians for his efforts to make this vital relationship between the Holy Spirit and Mary visible.
His teaching on this subject can be known through what he writes in his book The True Devotion to Mary: "God the Holy Spirit wishes to fashion his chosen ones in and through Mary...the formation and the education of the great saints who will come at the end of the world are reserved to her...when the Holy Spirit finds (the spirit of Mary) in the soul, He hastens there and enters fully into it. (True Devotion: 34-36)
(4) a secret of holiness
In his writings, Montfort proposes and recommends a special form of holiness that he calls "perfect devotion to Mary", the keynote of his own spirituality and teaching. Here is how he describes this secret of holiness. Montfort says that he has seen many devout souls searching for means and ways to obtain holiness but having worked so hard and so many times, they often end up with nothing. But according to Montfort, if we follow the immaculate path of Mary, we will work very little, but we will achieve a quality of holiness that is incomparable to others - because Mary is a holy place, a holy of holies, in which saints are formed and molded in her womb to the likeness and image of Christ. (True Devotion: 218)
(5) the models of holiness
Montfort provides us with very good models of holiness: Jesus Christ, Mary, and the saints.
Jesus is the teacher and the exemplar of all Christian sainthood. Christ alone brings all the works of God to perfection, especially the saints, for he shows them what they must do and teaches them to appreciate and put into practice all he has taught them (Love of Eternal Wisdom: 56)
For Montfort also, Mary is the perfect model of every virtue and perfection, fashioned by the Holy Spirit for us to imitate, as far as our limited capacity allows (True Devotion: 260). We Christians can imitate her ten primary virtues: "deep humility, lively faith, blind obedience, unceasing prayer, constant self-denial, surpassing purity, ardent love, heroic patience, angelic kindness, and heavenly wisdom." (True Devotion: 108). To these basic ten virtues, Montfort also adds: poverty, silence and ability to listen, modesty, thankfulness, and abandonment to divine Providence.
The saints are also exemplary models of Christian perfection. Montfort teaches that among the virtues of the saints that we must imitate are: the splendor of their humility, the charm of their tenderness, the excellence of their obedience, their strength of patience, the beauty of their virginity, the necessity of their penance, the tenderness of their brotherly charity, their joy of pardon, their blessed solitude, the frequency of their prayer, their power of fasting, the generosity of their alms, their love for the Cross, the treasures of their poverty, the flame of their zeal, the wisdom of their silence, their experience of the presence of God, the pleasant appeal of their modesty, their thankfulness, and their abandonment to Providence.
Montfort spoke prophetically of the Marian secret of sainthood and had a natural sympathy for saints who, like himself; had followed the virginal and immaculate way of Mary to grow in wisdom, maturity, and holiness.
(6) the necessity of mankind's cooperation
Everyone in the Church is called to sainthood. But to do this we must cooperate with the action of God's grace and abandon the worldly spirit that prevents us from becoming holy. Among the numerous virtues that Montfort considers part of our cooperation with God's saving and sanctifying graces, two in particular should be emphasized: obedience, which is the foundation and unshakeable support of all holiness; and charity, which in itself contains the most perfect holiness.
(7) the development of intensity in holiness
The spirituality of Montfort is dynamic. It guides the Christian through the stages of (a) purification, (b) illumination, and (c) union. In the stage of purification, God liberates us from the worldly spirit that is counter to the Spirit of Jesus Christ. After going through this purgative process, the spiritual journey and experience intensifies to the level of illumination. This is the stage where the charismatic knowledge of Mary and of her way of living, dynamic presence in the mystery of Christ and the Church, and thus in the spiritual life of the Christian, is better known and loved. Finally, once this stage has been fully experienced, the third and most intense level of holiness is union with God and His will. This is the stage and level where the Christian is filled with the very fullness of Jesus Christ Himself by the very means and intercession of the Blessed Mother.
(8) the final goal of holiness
According to Montfort, the final goal of holiness is to follow the path of Mary's obedience to the will of God. If any Christian follows this path, he will be blessed with the abundance of grace and sweetness that Mary imparts to all. They will be happy at the hour of death which is sweet and peaceful - for Mary is usually present to lead these devoted souls to the home of everlasting joy and eternal life. They will be happy for all eternity because no servant of Mary who followed her path of obedience to God's will and who imitated her virtues during their life has ever been lost. They will surely be guided to their proper end: eternal life with God in heaven.
Context of this article
God Alone: The Complete Collected Writings of St. Louis-Marie de Montfort
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