Lesson 23 (TD 169-172) – Slavery to Mary: Freedom of Spirit and Aid to One’s Neighbour
04/13/2023
Back to: Consecration to Our Lady Course
Learn how this devotion can provide us with true inner peace as children of God and how it does good for our neighbours.
Meditation and Prayers of the Day:
Litany of the Holy Spirit, Litany of the Blessed Virgin, Ave Maris Stella and St. Louis De Montfort’s Prayer to Mary
Click below to read.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Father, all powerful, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Eternal Son of the Father, Redeemer of the world, save us.
Spirit of the Father and the Son, boundless life of both, sanctify us.
Holy Trinity, hear us.
Holy Spirit, Who proceedest from the Father and the Son, enter our hearts.
Holy Spirit, Who art equal to the Father and the Son, enter our hearts.
Promise of God the Father,
Ray of heavenly light,
Author of all good,
Source of heavenly water,
Consuming Fire,
Ardent Charity,
Spiritual unction,
Spirit of love and truth,
Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
Spirit of counsel and fortitude,
Spirit of knowledge and piety,
Spirit of the fear of the Lord,
Spirit of grace and prayer,
Spirit of peace and meekness,
Spirit of modesty and innocence,
Holy Spirit, the Comforter,
Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier,
Holy Spirit, Who governest the Church,
Gift of God, the Most High Spirit of the adoption of the children of God,
Holy Spirit, inspire us with the horror of sin,
Holy Spirit, come and renew the face of the earth,
Holy Spirit, shed Thy light in our souls,
Holy Spirit, engrave the law in our hearts,
Holy Spirit, inflame us with the flame of Thy love,
Holy Spirit, open to us the treasures of thy Graces,
Holy Spirit, teach us to pray well.
Holy Spirit, enlighten us with Thy heavenly inspirations.
Holy Spirit, lead us in the way of salvation.
Holy Spirit, grant us the only necessary knowledge.
Holy Spirit, inspire in us the practice of good.
Holy Spirit, grant us the merits of all virtues.
Holy Spirit, make us persevere in justice.
Holy Spirit, be Thou our everlasting reward.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, send us Thy Holy Spirit.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, pour down into our souls the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, grant us the Spirit of wisdom and piety.
V/. Come, Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of Thy faithful.
R/. And enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
Let us pray: Grant, O merciful Father, that Thy Divine Spirit enlighten,
inflame and purify us, that He may penetrate us with His heavenly dew
and make us fruitful in good works; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy
Son, Who with Thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, liveth and reigneth
forever and ever. Amen.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Father, all powerful, have mercy on us.
Jesus, Eternal Son of the Father, Redeemer of the world, save us.
Spirit of the Father and the Son, boundless life of both, sanctify us.
Holy Trinity, hear us.
Holy Spirit, Who proceedest from the Father and the Son, enter our hearts.
Holy Spirit, Who art equal to the Father and the Son, enter our hearts.
Promise of God the Father,
Ray of heavenly light,
Author of all good,
Source of heavenly water,
Consuming Fire,
Ardent Charity,
Spiritual unction,
Spirit of love and truth,
Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
Spirit of counsel and fortitude,
Spirit of knowledge and piety,
Spirit of the fear of the Lord,
Spirit of grace and prayer,
Spirit of peace and meekness,
Spirit of modesty and innocence,
Holy Spirit, the Comforter,
Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier,
Holy Spirit, Who governest the Church,
Gift of God, the Most High Spirit of the adoption of the children of God,
Holy Spirit, inspire us with the horror of sin,
Holy Spirit, come and renew the face of the earth,
Holy Spirit, shed Thy light in our souls,
Holy Spirit, engrave the law in our hearts,
Holy Spirit, inflame us with the flame of Thy love,
Holy Spirit, open to us the treasures of thy Graces,
Holy Spirit, teach us to pray well.
Holy Spirit, enlighten us with Thy heavenly inspirations.
Holy Spirit, lead us in the way of salvation.
Holy Spirit, grant us the only necessary knowledge.
Holy Spirit, inspire in us the practice of good.
Holy Spirit, grant us the merits of all virtues.
Holy Spirit, make us persevere in justice.
Holy Spirit, be Thou our everlasting reward.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, send us Thy Holy Spirit.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, pour down into our souls the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, grant us the Spirit of wisdom and piety.
V/. Come, Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of Thy faithful.
R/. And enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
Let us pray: Grant, O merciful Father, that Thy Divine Spirit enlighten,
inflame and purify us, that He may penetrate us with His heavenly dew
and make us fruitful in good works; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy
Son, Who with Thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, liveth and reigneth
forever and ever. Amen.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Savior,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honour,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning Star,
Health of the Sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Comforter of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of angels,
Queen of patriarchs,
Queen of prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of martyrs,
Queen of confessors,
Queen of virgins,
Queen of all saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
Queen of peace,
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us.
O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
V/. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R/. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray: Grant unto us, Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord
God, at all times to enjoy health of soul and body; and by the glorious.
intercession of Blessed Mary, ever virgin, when freed from the sorrows.
of this present life, to enter into that joy which hath no end.
Through Christ Our Lord. R/. Amen.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Savior,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honour,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning Star,
Health of the Sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Comforter of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of angels,
Queen of patriarchs,
Queen of prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of martyrs,
Queen of confessors,
Queen of virgins,
Queen of all saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
Queen of peace,
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us.
O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
V/. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R/. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray: Grant unto us, Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord
God, at all times to enjoy health of soul and body; and by the glorious.
intercession of Blessed Mary, ever virgin, when freed from the sorrows.
of this present life, to enter into that joy which hath no end.
Through Christ Our Lord. R/. Amen.
Hail, O Star of the ocean,
God’s own Mother blest,
ever sinless Virgin,
gate of heav’nly rest.
Taking that sweet Ave,
which from Gabriel came,
peace confirm within us,
changing Eve’s name.
Break the sinners’ fetters,
make our blindness day,
Chase all evils from us,
for all blessings pray.
Show thyself a Mother,
may the Word divine
born for us thine Infant
hear our prayers through thine.
Virgin all excelling,
mildest of the mild,
free from guilt preserve us.
meek and undefiled.
Keep our life all spotless,
make our way secure
till we find in Jesus,
joy for evermore.
Praise to God the Father,
honor to the Son,
in the Holy Spirit,
be the glory one.
Amen.
God’s own Mother blest,
ever sinless Virgin,
gate of heav’nly rest.
Taking that sweet Ave,
which from Gabriel came,
peace confirm within us,
changing Eve’s name.
Break the sinners’ fetters,
make our blindness day,
Chase all evils from us,
for all blessings pray.
Show thyself a Mother,
may the Word divine
born for us thine Infant
hear our prayers through thine.
Virgin all excelling,
mildest of the mild,
free from guilt preserve us.
meek and undefiled.
Keep our life all spotless,
make our way secure
till we find in Jesus,
joy for evermore.
Praise to God the Father,
honor to the Son,
in the Holy Spirit,
be the glory one.
Amen.
Hail Mary, beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father. Hail Mary,
admirable Mother of the Son. Hail Mary, faithful Spouse of the Holy
Ghost. Hail Mary, my Mother, my loving Mistress, my powerful sovereign.
Hail, my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul. Thou art all mine by mercy,
and I am thine by justice. But I am not yet sufficiently thine. I now give
myself wholly to thee without keeping anything back for myself or others.
If thou seest anything in me which does not belong to thee, I beseech thee
to take it and make thyself the absolute Mistress of all that is mine.
Destroy in me all that may displease God; root it up and bring it to
nought. Place and cultivate in me everything that is pleasing to thee. May
the light of thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind. May thy profound
humility take the place of my pride; may thy sublime contemplation check
the distractions of my wandering imagination. May the continuous sight
of God fill my memory with His presence; may the burning love of thy
heart inflame the luke-warmness of mine. May thy virtues take the place
of my sins; may thy merits be my only adornment in the sight of God and
make up for all that is wanting in me. Finally, dearly beloved Mother,
grant if it be possible, that I may have no other spirit but thine to know
Jesus, and His Divine Will; that I may have no other soul but thine to
praise and glorify God; that I may have no other heart but thine to love
God with a love as pure and ardent as thine.
I do not ask thee for visions, revelations, sensible devotions, or
spiritual pleasures. It is thy privilege to see God clearly, it is thy privilege
to enjoy heavenly bliss; it is thy privilege to triumph gloriously in heaven
at the right hand of thy Son and to hold absolute sway over angels, men
and demons,
It is thy privilege to dispose of all the gifts of God, just as thou willest.
Such is, O heavenly Mary, the `best part’, which the Lord hast given thee,
and which shall never be taken away from thee—and this thought, fills
my heart with joy. As for my part here below, I wish for no other than that
which was thine, to believe sincerely without spiritual pleasures, to suffer
joyfully without human consolation, to die continually to myself without
respite, and to work zealously and unselfishly for thee until death, as the
humblest of thy servants. The only grace I beg thee, for me, is that every
moment of the day, and every moment of my life, I may say - «Amen, so
be it, to all that thou art doing in heaven. Amen; so be it, to all thou didst
do while on earth. Amen, so be it, to all thou art doing in my soul,» so that
thou alone mayest fully glorify Jesus in me for time and eternity. Amen.
Recitation of the Rosary . . .
admirable Mother of the Son. Hail Mary, faithful Spouse of the Holy
Ghost. Hail Mary, my Mother, my loving Mistress, my powerful sovereign.
Hail, my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul. Thou art all mine by mercy,
and I am thine by justice. But I am not yet sufficiently thine. I now give
myself wholly to thee without keeping anything back for myself or others.
If thou seest anything in me which does not belong to thee, I beseech thee
to take it and make thyself the absolute Mistress of all that is mine.
Destroy in me all that may displease God; root it up and bring it to
nought. Place and cultivate in me everything that is pleasing to thee. May
the light of thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind. May thy profound
humility take the place of my pride; may thy sublime contemplation check
the distractions of my wandering imagination. May the continuous sight
of God fill my memory with His presence; may the burning love of thy
heart inflame the luke-warmness of mine. May thy virtues take the place
of my sins; may thy merits be my only adornment in the sight of God and
make up for all that is wanting in me. Finally, dearly beloved Mother,
grant if it be possible, that I may have no other spirit but thine to know
Jesus, and His Divine Will; that I may have no other soul but thine to
praise and glorify God; that I may have no other heart but thine to love
God with a love as pure and ardent as thine.
I do not ask thee for visions, revelations, sensible devotions, or
spiritual pleasures. It is thy privilege to see God clearly, it is thy privilege
to enjoy heavenly bliss; it is thy privilege to triumph gloriously in heaven
at the right hand of thy Son and to hold absolute sway over angels, men
and demons,
It is thy privilege to dispose of all the gifts of God, just as thou willest.
Such is, O heavenly Mary, the `best part’, which the Lord hast given thee,
and which shall never be taken away from thee—and this thought, fills
my heart with joy. As for my part here below, I wish for no other than that
which was thine, to believe sincerely without spiritual pleasures, to suffer
joyfully without human consolation, to die continually to myself without
respite, and to work zealously and unselfishly for thee until death, as the
humblest of thy servants. The only grace I beg thee, for me, is that every
moment of the day, and every moment of my life, I may say - «Amen, so
be it, to all that thou art doing in heaven. Amen; so be it, to all thou didst
do while on earth. Amen, so be it, to all thou art doing in my soul,» so that
thou alone mayest fully glorify Jesus in me for time and eternity. Amen.
Recitation of the Rosary . . .
169. It gives great liberty of spirit - the freedom of the children of God - to those who faithfully practise it. Through this devotion we make ourselves slaves of Jesus by consecrating ourselves entirely to him. To reward us for this enslavement of love, our Lord frees us from every scruple and servile fear which might restrict, imprison or confuse us; he opens our hearts and fills them with holy confidence in God, helping us to regard God as our Father; he inspires us with a generous and filial love.
170. Without stopping to prove this truth, I shall simply relate an incident which I read in the life of Mother Agnes of Jesus, a Dominican nun of the convent of Langeac in Auvergne, who died a holy death there in 1634.
When she was only seven years old and was suffering great spiritual anguish, she heard a voice telling her that if she wished to be delivered from her anguish and protected against all her enemies, she should make herself the slave of our Lord and his Blessed Mother as soon as possible. No sooner had she returned home than she gave herself completely to Jesus and Mary as their slave, although she had never known anything about this devotion before. She found an iron chain, put it round her waist and wore it till the day she died. After this, all her sufferings and scruples disappeared and she found great peace of soul.
This led her to teach this devotion to many others who made rapid progress in it - among them, Father Olier, the founder of the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice, and several other priests and students from the same seminary. One day the Blessed Virgin appeared to Mother Agnes and put a gold chain around her neck to show her how happy she was that Mother Agnes had become the slave of both her and her Son. And St.
Cecilia, who accompanied our Lady, said to her, "Happy are the faithful slaves of the Queen of heaven, for they will enjoy true freedom." Tibi servire libertas.
7. It is of great benefit to our neighbour
171. It is of great benefit to our neighbour, for by it we show love for our neighbour in an outstanding way since we give him through Mary's hands all that we prize most highly - that is, the satisfactory and prayer value of all our good works, down to the least good thought and the least little suffering. We give our consent that all we have already acquired or will acquire until death should be used in accordance with our Lady's will for the conversion of sinners or the deliverance of souls from Purgatory.
Is this not perfect love of our neighbour? Is this not being a true disciple of our Lord, one who should always be recognised by his love? Is this not the way to convert sinners without any danger of vainglory, and deliver souls from Purgatory by doing hardly anything more than what we are obliged to do by our state of life?
172. To appreciate the excellence of this motive we must understand what a wonderful thing it is to convert a sinner or to deliver a soul from Purgatory. It is an infinite good, greater than the creation of heaven and earth, since it gives a soul the possession of God. If by this devotion we secured the release of only soul from Purgatory or converted only one sinner in our whole lifetime, would that not be enough to induce any person who really loves his neighbour to practise this devotion?
It must be noted that our good works, passing through Mary's hands, are progressively purified.
Consequently, their merit and their satisfactory and prayer value are also increased. That is why they become much more effective in relieving the souls in Purgatory and in converting sinners than if they did not pass through the virginal and liberal hands of Mary. Stripped of self-will and clothed with disinterested love, the little that we give to the Blessed Virgin is truly powerful enough to appease the anger of God and draw down his mercy. It may well be that at the hour of death a person who has been faithful to this devotion will find that he has freed many souls from Purgatory and converted many sinners, even though he performed only the ordinary actions of his state of life. Great will be his joy at the judgement. Great will be his glory throughout eternity.
170. Without stopping to prove this truth, I shall simply relate an incident which I read in the life of Mother Agnes of Jesus, a Dominican nun of the convent of Langeac in Auvergne, who died a holy death there in 1634.
When she was only seven years old and was suffering great spiritual anguish, she heard a voice telling her that if she wished to be delivered from her anguish and protected against all her enemies, she should make herself the slave of our Lord and his Blessed Mother as soon as possible. No sooner had she returned home than she gave herself completely to Jesus and Mary as their slave, although she had never known anything about this devotion before. She found an iron chain, put it round her waist and wore it till the day she died. After this, all her sufferings and scruples disappeared and she found great peace of soul.
This led her to teach this devotion to many others who made rapid progress in it - among them, Father Olier, the founder of the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice, and several other priests and students from the same seminary. One day the Blessed Virgin appeared to Mother Agnes and put a gold chain around her neck to show her how happy she was that Mother Agnes had become the slave of both her and her Son. And St.
Cecilia, who accompanied our Lady, said to her, "Happy are the faithful slaves of the Queen of heaven, for they will enjoy true freedom." Tibi servire libertas.
7. It is of great benefit to our neighbour
171. It is of great benefit to our neighbour, for by it we show love for our neighbour in an outstanding way since we give him through Mary's hands all that we prize most highly - that is, the satisfactory and prayer value of all our good works, down to the least good thought and the least little suffering. We give our consent that all we have already acquired or will acquire until death should be used in accordance with our Lady's will for the conversion of sinners or the deliverance of souls from Purgatory.
Is this not perfect love of our neighbour? Is this not being a true disciple of our Lord, one who should always be recognised by his love? Is this not the way to convert sinners without any danger of vainglory, and deliver souls from Purgatory by doing hardly anything more than what we are obliged to do by our state of life?
172. To appreciate the excellence of this motive we must understand what a wonderful thing it is to convert a sinner or to deliver a soul from Purgatory. It is an infinite good, greater than the creation of heaven and earth, since it gives a soul the possession of God. If by this devotion we secured the release of only soul from Purgatory or converted only one sinner in our whole lifetime, would that not be enough to induce any person who really loves his neighbour to practise this devotion?
It must be noted that our good works, passing through Mary's hands, are progressively purified.
Consequently, their merit and their satisfactory and prayer value are also increased. That is why they become much more effective in relieving the souls in Purgatory and in converting sinners than if they did not pass through the virginal and liberal hands of Mary. Stripped of self-will and clothed with disinterested love, the little that we give to the Blessed Virgin is truly powerful enough to appease the anger of God and draw down his mercy. It may well be that at the hour of death a person who has been faithful to this devotion will find that he has freed many souls from Purgatory and converted many sinners, even though he performed only the ordinary actions of his state of life. Great will be his joy at the judgement. Great will be his glory throughout eternity.
Treatise on True Devotion 