Knowledge of Mary: Day Three

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, downloaded from Wikipedia

Day twenty two at Fish Eaters.

Day twenty two at The Catholic Company. *note: no mention is made here of praying the Rosary at the completion of prayers as is done in the older book by Montfort Publications*

The reading today comes from True Devotion. It's interesting that both links at Fish Eaters and at The Catholic Company deviate from the older Preparation for Total Consecration book. The Catholic Company has included longer selections from the paragraphs in True Devotion. And the translation used is slightly different from the publications either by Tan or Montfort Publications. Fish Eaters keeps the same content from the older book, however, they opted for the translation from Montfort Publications. No worries.

The reading today answers the question of what does an authentic perfect devotion to Mary look like? It's interior, tender (trusting), holy, constant, and disinterested.

Of interest to me, is that it is interior. It seems that many Christians miss this, that point is not merely outward acts, but an interior change that should be taking place within the Christian. That interior change is manifested by exterior acts. I've two favorite quotes of scripture that relate to a change of heart.

A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)

And almost all of Psalm 51 could be quoted, but I'll limit it to one verse. 

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and put a new and right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

On the other hand, I've the most difficultly in understanding and obtaining disinterest (of course, it's possible I've misjudged with which I'm having most difficulty). Since Mary is the means to Jesus, it seems that in some way, I'm interested in spiritual gain in my devotion to Mary. But at other times, it does seem that I'm in a friendship with her for her alone. It seems that I'm placing my trust in her that my formation will be guided rightly. This is a work in progress in developing an authentic perfect devotion to Mary.