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Part 3

The Will

Let us not forget that the essence and the perfection of our consecration are neither the sentiment nor the memory but the will. Therefore, in the case where one doesn’t experience at all the sweetness of intimate familiarity with Her (although commonly it is the opposite) and one is incapable of remembering Her and thinking for a long time about Her for whatever reason, if his will remains beside Her, if he does not revoke his consecration, but on the contrary, as far as he can renews it, then let him be at peace, because She reigns in his heart. And the will, we can control it easily. Let us be careful only to conform it always more perfectly to Her will and accomplish this will of Hers always more perfectly. This is everything. (SK 605 Nov. 10, 1934)

 

It is a matter of the approaching of the will, the fusion of our will and the will of the Immaculate, just as Her Will is united most perfectly to the Will of God. Besides this, nothing else is necessary. (SK 1212, Dec. 7, 1936)

 

Let us try hard all day to accomplish Her will. Let us offer the key of the bastion of our will to Her so that She might conquer it to Herself as quickly as possible and then, through us, She will conquer others. (K 37, n. 5, June 26, 1936)

 

It is certain that the more our will approaches Her, the more we also approach Her. If we are united to Her will we can tell ourselves that we belong to her very much. (K 284, Oct. 19, 1940)

 

At any rate, the Immaculate knows everything and directs everything, on the condition that we let ourselves be guided perfectly by Her. (SK 698, Dec. 29, 1936)

 

Since we have given ourselves to Her without limits, therefore She, for Her part, leads us. (SK 339, April 29, 1931)

 

In practice

We give to Her as Her property everything, whatever we do. We give Her as Her property all that we are and all that we do. Then She gives it to Our Lord Jesus as Her own. These are very deep things, but we learn them in humble prayer.

This is our ideal

But how must we see this in practice? During all our actions must we remember our consecration, that everything that we do is for the Mother of God? No, it suffices that if we have once made this act of offering and if we have never consciously retracted it, then it exists, even though we may not think about it. A practical example: a carpenter makes a table on order (for someone). Even though he doesn’t constantly think about the fact that he is making the table for the one who ordered it, nevertheless he is making this particular table for him. When we have once given ourselves to the Immaculate as Her property, this offering will always be valid, even if we don’t always think about it. (K 36, June 23, 1936)

 

If the examination of conscience and meditation are very difficult, but not through our fault, that means that if, in spite of everything, we strive to do them well, everything is in order. The Immaculate often, to increase our merit, veils the horizon to us with clouds of discouragement, doubt, worry, etc. If the will does not give itself to these thoughts, even if they last a long time, then we approach closer to the Immaculate. Everything depends on this, that at every instant, in every circumstance we let Her lead us. The test of this is obedience.… We must be careful that there be no conflict between Her will and ours.

We have offered Her everything—therefore whatever is ours is Her property and Her affairs are ours. Her virtues, her merits are ours. Everything depends on this: how we will. Extraordinary prayers and mortifications aren’t necessary, but just: let oneself be led. (K 41, July 5, 1936)

 

Often we forget about the practical offering of ourselves to the Immaculate. What does this practical offering consist in? In the accomplishment of Her Will. In the union of our will to Her Will, as Her Will is immersed in God’s Will. We know that the Will of God is made known to us in supernatural obedience. This is, as spiritual writers say, a sort of mystery of the faith. (K 167, May 1, 1938)

 

We can consecrate ourselves to Mary using whatever expression we want as long as we renounce our own will in order to adhere to Her commands, which are presented to us in the commandments of God and the Church, in the duties of our state and in interior inspirations. (SK 1220 Rycerz Niepokalanej, December 1937)

 

We must let ourselves be led by Her. The closer our union with Her will be, the better will be the fruits. So let us strive for this one thing, that we be Hers more and more. It isn’t a matter here of strength of will, or fortitude, it is a matter of this, that She reign in us more and more, more and more delicately, so that we do not want to know why something is thus and not otherwise, so that for us are sufficient the words: She wills it. A priest was telling me how, during a retreat of the Province, the superior, in sending him to another friary, explained to him the motives for doing so (this priest was already an old man) in order to lessen the sadness occasioned by the move. This priest, however, stopped him, in order not to lose the merit of obedience. The soul who loves the Immaculate doesn’t want to know reasons. It is enough for it that the Immaculate wills it so through the superiors.…It is a matter of this, that She reign within us. We must pray for this supernatural love of Her. (K 286, Oct. 22, 1940)

 

You are Hers

Let yourself be led by the Immaculate: all that doesn’t depend on your will, surely She permits it for your good, even if it comes from the bad will of others. It is She who wills that it happen to you.…

Don’t forget that sanctity consists, not in extraordinary actions, but in accomplishing well your duties towards God, yourself and others.

Nothing, not even the most holy state of life, assures the sanctification of your soul if you neglect the duties that derive from that state.

Try to see in your duties the certain will of the Immaculate, the accomplishment of which demonstrates your love for Her and, in Her and through Her, for Jesus and the Father.

Even prayer, penance and works that are good in themselves are not pleasing to Her if they are an obstacle to accomplishing well your duties. Precisely in them, in fact, is found Her will. (SK 1334, Aug. 5-20, 1940)

 

Devotion to the Immaculate is a secret that many don’t know yet, or rather they know it but they practise it only superficially, when in reality it is, by the will of God, the substance of all sanctity. (SK 687, Nov. 11, 1936)

 

Our ideal is to present to the Immaculate at every instant the offering of our life. (K 247, June 16, 1940)

 

Discouragement

Most beloved sons, do not ever accept such a feeling. When you feel yourself to be at fault, even if it is a sin that is fully conscious, grave and repeated many, many, many times, do not let yourselves be fooled by the devil into consenting to discouragement. But when you feel yourself to be at fault, offer your whole fault, without analyzing it and examining it, to the Immaculate as Her property, pronouncing the sole name “Mary,” as I just did a moment ago, and worry yourselves about pleasing Her with the action that immediately follows, as I am doing in this moment adding for you, most dear Sons, these few words. Dearly beloved, every fall, even if it be very grave and repeated, serves us always and only as a little step towards a higher perfection. For this alone, in fact, the Immaculate permits a fall, in order to heal us of our self-love, our pride, in order to lead us to humility and render us in this way more docile to divine graces. The devil, on the contrary, tries to inject despair and interior despondency, which are nothing else but a new sign of pride. If we knew well our wretchedness, we would not wonder at all at our falls, but rather we would wonder and give thanks, after the fall, for not having fallen still lower and more often. There does not exist, in fact, a sin so grave into which we cannot fall, if divine grace, that is, the merciful hand of the Immaculate, does not sustain us. We don’t want either to feel continually the sweetness of the devotion to the Immaculate, because this would be spiritual greediness. Let us permit Her to lead us as it pleases Her, not as it pleases us. It is not always the time for sweet tendernesses, even if they are very holy. We also need trials, aridity, abandonments and so on. Let us, then, permit Her to use with full liberty the means of our sanctification. One thing alone must always be present and be deepened always: let ourselves be led by Her, conform ourselves always more perfectly to Her Will, obedience to Her Will in holy Obedience. (SK 504, April 9, 1933)

 

Dear Brother!

After a long silence your letter made me rejoice. You must not worry at all about me being very busy, but freely write as soon as you feel the need.…With regard to our personal weaknesses, they must not discourage us at all, but, on the contrary, the more an instrument is wretched, so much more is it fit to manifest the goodness and power of the Immaculate.…Discouragement would grieve the Immaculate….Can someone be sad who is the property of the Immaculate? Which doesn’t mean never to stumble, but if we happen to fall, we must conduct ourselves as true knights of the Immaculate and not get discouraged.…

Dear son, don’t be sad, don’t be troubled. The Immaculate knows and directs everything. Let us only let ourselves be led by Her always more perfectly and She Herself in us and through us will do the maximum possible for the salvation of souls, to conquer them to Herself and, through Her, to the Heart of Jesus. With the help of the Immaculate we can do everything. (SK 609, Dec. 28, 1934)

 

But someone will say: I don’t have the strength for this, to progress in this way, others can do it but not me. That is precisely what it is all about, that we don’t have the strength. And if someone feels this way, it is thanks to the Most Holy Mother. If someone feels he has the strength, then let him pray the Mother of God not to feel he has the strength because if someone relies on himself, then he truly is in danger of falling. Your whole point of support must be the Immaculate. We must never have confidence in ourselves. We must simply say to the Immaculate: if You abandon me, then I will drag also others along to hell with me; there is no sin of which I am not capable, nothing so criminal that I could not commit it. If, however, You extend me Your hand, then I will bring the whole world to You and I will become a saint, a great saint. This is true humility, for we don’t trust in ourselves but completely in the Immaculate. But someone will say: I can’t manage to do such things. This is pride, because it attributes to oneself that one can still do the small things but not what is greater. You, by yourself, can do nothing if you rely on your own strength. If we rely on the Lord God, we can do everything. Is the Lord God limited? Can He do little things but not great things? As soon as we rely on the Lord God we are giants. We can be sanctified! We can conquer our soul and the whole world to the Immaculate, but with Her help, obviously. (K 29, July 1933)

 

What does that mean, conversion and sanctification through the Immaculate? That means that through the Immaculate come the graces necessary for conversion and sanctification. And indeed, although a sinner or a soul desiring to sanctify itself doesn’t think about it, what matters is that they know and recognize this mystery, that the soul truly turns directly to the Mother of God. When a soul does this, it will certainly receive the grace of conversion and sanctification; I underline: “certainly.” Ordinarily, if the sinful soul turns to the Lord God, it will receive the grace of conversion, but it can happen that the soul will not merit the grace of God because, on the contrary, it is fitting that the justice of God prevail. However, if the soul, even though it be I don’t know how sinful, turns to the Immaculate, it will certainly receive grace. St. Bernard says that the Lord God kept for Himself justice, but gave mercy to the Mother of God. I don’t deny that the Immaculate receives the mercy from the Lord God, but She is the personification of this divine mercy and that is why a soul is converted and sanctified if it turns to Her.

Therefore we know this truth, that through the Immaculate we can become great saints and this in an easy way.

In order to sincerely proclaim this truth with conviction, it is first necessary to experience it oneself. Then it will be very easy to speak of it to others. A soul that has already given up and says: “I can’t go on, it is too much for me,” let her try and put into practice for itself this truth and she will be convinced that she can do all things through the Immaculate. There is no heroism of which the soul is not capable with the help of the Immaculate. (K 75, n. 3, May 6, 1937)

 

Sometimes we have doubts: so often it happens that we have not been faithful to grace, with the result that we are no longer worthy of the help of God. But that is precisely why God has given us the heavenly Mother to whom He has confided the entire order of His mercy, so that He might, as it were, hide us from His justice. Therefore we have a way to go, through which we can always obtain the grace of God. We can never say that now it is no longer possible to obtain the grace of God. Without regard for whatever sins we have on our conscience, we can rise up from them, if only we will turn to the Immaculate. If someone falls, let him turn to Her with full confidence. (K 183, Aug. 2, 1938)

 

Let us also (like Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus) be little flowers of the Immaculate and She will teach us an unlimited confidence in the merciful love of God, of which She is the personification. (SK 1263, July 1932)

 

In the case of a fall, offer yourself immediately to Her together with the whole affair of your fall and ask for pardon: “Dear little Mother, pardon me and obtain pardon from Jesus.” Seek to accomplish your next action in order to procure the greatest possible pleasure to Her and to Jesus and be certain that this act of love will completely annul that fault. In your first confession you will accuse yourself of this fall, but She, Jesus and the Father will have already long forgotten it. (SK 1334, Aug. 5-20, 1940)