Marian Spirituality
As part of their preparation to consecrate their life to Christ through the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, the Sisters of Our Mother of Divine Grace make the Total Consecration to Jesus Christ , through the Blessed Virgin Mary, according to the theology of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
St. Louis Marie de Montfort was an advocate of the French School of Spirituality as promoted and formulated by Cardinal de Berulle, during the early 17th century. This spirituality was rooted in the Blessed Trinity, especially the Mystery of the Incarnate Word, with a devotion to Mary. St. Louis de Montfort, added his own distinctive character to this devotion to Mary by emphasizing that at the Incarnation Jesus was linked to Mary in a unique, definitive way: she gave him his humanity, he lives in her, she is his mother and on Calvary, he gave her to each one of us. The theological foundation of his devotion to Mary was a sure and perfect way to live a Christocentric life.
"Jesus, our Savior, true God and true man must be the ultimate end of all our other devotions; otherwise they would be false and misleading. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of everything. We labor,' says St. Paul, 'only to make all men perfect in Jesus Christ.' For in him alone dwell the entire fullness of the divinity and the complete fullness of grace, virtue and perfection. . . . If then we are establishing sound devotion to Our Blessed Lady, it is only in order to establish devotion to Our Lord more perfectly by providing a smooth but certain way of reaching Jesus Christ." (True Devotion)
In his book, True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis tells us that since Mary is the path that God the Father choose, through the Holy Spirit, to send us His Eternal Son, Jesus in the Incarnation, Mary then is the sure and perfect path that will lead us back to Him, where we will share in this Trinitarian communion. “Every human “yes” to God flows from the grace of the Holy Spirit and is intertwined with the consent of Mary.” Simply speaking, this consecration is a surrender of our lives to Jesus through Mary by doing everything with her, and in her, for Jesus. Her role is to lead us to her Son!
Pope John Paul II, a follower of this devotion to Mary, commented that this devotion to Mary is based on Jesus' will: "The history of Christian piety teaches that Mary is the way which leads to Christ and that filial devotion to her takes nothing from intimacy with Jesus; indeed, it increases it and leads to the highest levels of perfection." (General Audience, May 7, 1997)
The particular emphasis of this devotion in the life of the Sisters of Our Mother of Divine Grace is on the role of Mary at the Annunciation, in the mystery of the Incarnation. For this reason, the feast of the Annunication is the primary feast of the community.
Mary was greeted by the Angel as full of grace, a manifestation of God's plan for her. St. Louis de Montfort tells us that the fullness of grace that the Triune God bestows on Mary, is completely and solely at the service of the Incarnation of Jesus Her Son, however, not just for the moment of the Incarnation but for all time. Mary remains the "Mother of Grace," because she gave existence and life to the Author of all grace and it is His will therefore that we should receive all gifts through Her. Thus, Mary is the source where we can drink of the living waters of grace.
"The fullness of grace indicates all the supernatural munificence from which Mary benefits by being chosen and destined to be the Mother of Christ." (Redemptoris Mater 9)
Uniting with the fiat of Mary, "the sisters strive to reflect Mary's humility in continual loving abandonment to God's will" (Constitutions SMDG) and through her example and intercession to persevere in their calling.
