Treaty of true devotion to the Blessed Virgin by St. Luiz Maria Grignion de Montfort – www.valde.com.br/en TREATY OF TRUE DEVOTION TO THE HOLY VIRGIN FOR THE BLESSED LUIZ MARIA GRIGNION DE MONTFORT APOSTOLIC MISSIONARY, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF MISSIONARIES OF COMPANY OF MARY AND THE CONGREGATION OF THE DAUGHTERS OF WISDOM SECOND EDITION 1943 EDITORA VOZES Ltda. - PETRÓPOLIS R! RIO DE JANEIRO - SÃO PAULO 1 Treaty of true devotion to the Blessed Virgin by St. Luiz Maria Grignion de Montfort – www.valde.com.br/en TREATY OF TRUE DEVOTION TO THE HOLY VIRGIN FOR THE BLESSED LUIZ MARIA GRIGNION DE MONTFORT APOSTOLIC MISSIONARY, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF MISSIONARIES OF COMPANY OF MARY AND THE CONGREGATION OF THE DAUGHTERS OF WISDOM SECOND EDITION 1943 EDITORA VOZES Ltda. - PETRÓPOLIS, RJ BRAZIL RIO DE JANEIRO - SÃO PAULO 2 Treaty of true devotion to the Blessed Virgin by St. Luiz Maria Grignion de Montfort – www.valde.com.br/en IMPRIMATUR By special commission of the Hon. and over again. mr. Bishop of Niterói, D. José Pereira Alves. Petrópolis, 10/22/1942. Atico Eyng, OFM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 3 Treaty of true devotion to the Blessed Virgin by St. Luiz Maria Grignion de Montfort – www.valde.com.br/en NOT OF RECOMMENDATION, BUT OF PRAYER ... If there is a book that does not need any recommendation - he is so recommended in this world, in I don't know how many languages, and by himself and by legions of admirers and followers - it is the classic book by Luiz Maria Grignion de Montfort, with the title " Traité de la Vraie Devotion à la Sainte Vierge ", which now appears in a new Portuguese edition. All his reason for being, all of his reasoning, all of his purpose and all of his charm are summed up, precisely, in the first words of the introduction: "It is by the SS. Virgin Mary that Jesus Christ came into the world, it is by the SS. Virgin Mary that Jesus Christ must reign in the world, that is, in the small world, which is the human soul, in the larger world which is the family, and in the great world which are societies, nations. This is the great mystery of Mary, that Montfort announces with the convincing eloquence of an apostle, that is, of a passionate soul. "In the past centuries - writes Rev. P. Bernard, OP, in his also admirable book about Our Lady - no one like the Good. Grignion de Montfort contributed so much to spreading among our souls this feeling of our dependence on the SS Virgin. and of his motherhood towards us. Hearing him publish this mystery with such fervor and inspiration, we would think to hear Saint Paul preaching to the primitive Church about the unfathomable richness of Jesus Christ ". Such a book needs no recommendation. But you need prayer. The holy author already foresaw the anger of hell and men of ill will against this booklet intended to spread so well, because it is intended to place souls in Mary's maternal lap, in the same lap where Jesus was born. So pray that the Portuguese edition that EDITORA VOZES LTDA. publishes with such affection become very and very well known. Let us pray, above all, that good souls understand the sublime doctrine of these pages and, understanding them, know how to live. It is, therefore, a book that does not need any recommendation, but rather prayer, much prayer, so that, in spite of the onslaught of impiety and false piety, he may carry out his apostolate of sanctification and elevation of souls, by Mary, in Jesus Christ. Go, little book of gold, go on the wings of the prayer of everyone who admires you, teach the souls throughout this Brazil, that Mary is ours and that we are Mary's, because Mary is Christ's and Christ is Mary's, it gave. Henrique G. Trindade OFM Guaratinguetá, day of NS do Carmo, 1938 4 Treaty of true devotion to the Blessed Virgin by St. Luiz Maria Grignion de Montfort – www.valde.com.br/en PREFACE BY REVEREND FATHER FWER It was in 1846 or 1847, in San Wilfrido, that I first studied the life and spirit of the venerable Grignion de Montfort. Today, more than fifteen years later, I can say that those who take him for a teacher, will hardly find a saint or an ascetic writer who most captivates their intelligence by his grace and his spirit. We cannot yet call him a saint; however, the process of his beatification is so well advanced that we should not have much to wait to see him placed on our altars. Few men, in the 18th century, bear the signs of a man of Providence more strongly engraved than this new Elias, missionary of the Holy Spirit and of Mary Most Holy. His whole life was such a manifestation of the holy madness of the cross, that his biographers are in agreement to classify him as Saint Simeon Salus and Saint Felipe Neri. Clement XI made him an apostolic missionary in France, so that he could use his life to combat Jansenism, so full of danger for the salvation of souls. It will be difficult to find, after the apostles' epistles, words as ardent as the twelve pages of their "Prayer" by the missionaries of their Society (1) I recommend it to all those who find it difficult to keep, in the midst of numerous trials, the fire primitive love for the salvation of souls. 1) This beautiful "Prayer" is found at the end of the volume. Grignion de Montfort was both persecuted and revered everywhere. The sum of his works is, like that of Saint Anthony of Padua, truly incredible and inexplicable. He wrote some spiritual treatises, which, although recently known, have already had a notable influence on the Church, and are called to have a much greater influence in the future. His sermons, his writings, his conversation were steeped in prophecies and anticipated visions of the last Church ages. New Saint Vincent Ferrer, he goes ahead, as if he were in the precursor days of the final judgment, and proclaims himself to be the bearer of an authentic message from God: more honor, wider knowledge, more ardent love for Mary Most Holy, and it announces the intimate union that she will have with the second advent of her Son. He founded two religious congregations, one for men, the other for women, both very prosperous. And yet he died at the age of 43, in 1716, having only sixteen years of priesthood. On May 12, 1853, a decree was promulgated in Rome declaring his writings exempt from any error that could serve as an obstacle to his canonization. In this work on true devotion to the Blessed Virgin, he wrote these prophetic words: "I clearly see in the future fruitful animals that rush with fury to smash through this diabolical teeth this little writing and that of whom the Holy Spirit used to write it. ; or to bury him, at least, in the silence of a closet, so that he doesn't see the light ". Nevertheless, it predicts, at the same time, the book's appearance and success. Everything was accomplished to the letter. The author died in 1716, and it was not until 1842 that this treaty was discovered, as by chance, by one of the priests of his Congregation in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sévre. The superior of that time was able to certify that the manuscript was of the venerable founder and the autograph was sent to Rome, in order to be examined in the process of canonization. Certainly, those who are going to read this book already love God and would like to love him even more; everyone wants something for his glory: the spread of a good work, the coming of better 5 Treaty of true devotion to the Blessed Virgin by St. Luiz Maria Grignion de Montfort – www.valde.com.br/en times, the success of a devotion; one made every effort for years to overcome a particular defect and failed to do so; another has been tearfully asking for the conversion of his parents and friends, and is amazed that, despite his tears, so few of them have converted to the faith; he is saddened by not having enough devotion; one is afflicted by having to carry a cross that seems too heavy for his weakness, while another finds domestic disturbances and misfortunes within the family that seem incompatible with the work of his salvation; and for all these sorrows, prayer seems to bring so little relief! What, then, iswhat medicine do they lack? What remedy is indicated by God Himself? It is, according to the revelations of the saints, an immense spread of devotion to the Blessed Virgin; but, reflect well, the immense does not admit restrictions or limits. Here, in England, Our Lady is not quite preached and known. The devotion that he consecrates to him is weak, scarce, petty, misguided by the scorns of heresy. Dominated by human respect and carnal prudence, I would like to make the true Mary such a small Mary that Protestants could be. feel at ease with her. Her ignorance of theology robs Mary of all life and dignity; it is not, as it should be, the salient character of our religion; it has no faith in itself. And it is for this reason that Jesus is not loved, that heretics are not converted, that the Church is not exalted; souls that could be holy, faint and degenerate; the sacraments are not attended as they should be; souls are not evangelized with the enthusiasm of apostolic zeal; Jesus is not known, because Mary is left behind;thousands of souls perish, because Mary is far from them.