Mar. 22-

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters, (sorry forgot to include full title of thread -- it should read: Mar. 22 - Tues. Wk 3 in Lent (Wk 3 Day 5)

As we listen to God’s Word and Words He inspired in St. Louis de Montfort, let us by God’s Grace pay attention especially to the Verse before the Gospel and the Gospel for today:

Verse before the Gospel (Jl 2:12-13) "Even now, says the LORD, return to Me with your whole heart; for I am gracious and merciful."​

Gospel (Mt 18:21-35)​

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused.Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you? Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”​

St. Louis de Montfort, in “True Devotion to Mary” reminds us of the importance of our Baptismal Promises:

120. As all perfection consists in our being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus it naturally follows that the most perfect of all devotions is that which conforms, unites, and consecrates us most completely to Jesus. Now of all God’s creatures Mary is the most conformed to Jesus. It therefore follows that, of all devotions, devotion to her makes for the most effective consecration and conformity to him. The more one is consecrated to Mary, the more one is consecrated to Jesus.​

That is why perfect consecration to Jesus is but a perfect and complete consecration of oneself to the Blessed Virgin, which is the devotion I teach; or in other words, it is the perfect renewal of the vows and promises of holy baptism.​

Come Holy Spirit, prepare us well to consecrrate ourselves totally this Friday to Jesus through
Mary. Amen.