Spiritual exercices of St-Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort

Most Catholics are familiar with the Ignatian exercises, but less so with the Marian exercises devised by St-Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort. It is these, however, that the MSM first requires a candidate for the noviciate in the Order undertake. A summation of these exercises follows:

1) Humbly ask for the grace of True Devotion through such prayers as: « Facme digne tuam Matrem collaudare ».

2) Empty yourself of all that is bad or evil within you, and “die to yourself” as St-Paul teaches us, offering her everything, according to Christ’s prayer: « Tuus totus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt », renouncing yourself in order to give yourself entirely to Mary.

3) The interior practices of True Devotion include:
·         Honoring Mary above all other saints;
·         Meditating on her virtues;
·         Performing acts of love and gratitude to her;
·         Showing contempt for the world; and, in general,
·         Acting in ways that please her and performing all of your acts through, with, in, and for Mary, renouncing yourself and imitating her example; One must « undertake to do great things for this august Sovereign ».

The interior practices of True Devotion include:
·         Saying the Ave with attentiveness, devotion and modesty;
·         Praising her, including through a special devotion to the Incarnation of the Word on 25 March;
·         Fasting in her honor;
·         Wearing the rosary or scapular;
·         Reciting daily the Little Office,  the Magnificat, Rosary or Little Crown (Dignareme laudarete Virgo sacrata, da mihi virtutem contra hostes tuos, followed three times by a Credo, a Pater, 4 Ave, a Gloria, and a Sub tuum praesidum[1]);
·         Singing or chanting in her honor;
·         Genuflecting before her;
·         Caring for her images, wearing her image on oneself, and/or placing her images in houses;
·         Consecrating yourself to Christ through her, by a renewal of your baptismal vows, while meditating on your faults, daily asking the Holy-Spirit to illumine you, and saying such prayers as:
Domine, ut videam, Noverim me, noverim te[2], and the Veni, Sancte Spiritus[3], as well as by invoking the aid of the Virgin through the Ave maris Stella[4].

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[1] Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus¹, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

[2] Domine Iesu, noverim me, noverim te, Nec aliquid cupiam nisi te. Oderim me et amem te. Omnia agam propter te. Humilem me, exaltem te. Nihil cogitem nisi te. Mortificem me et vivam in te. Quaecumque eveniant accipiam a te. Persequar me, sequar te, Semerque optem sequi te. Fugiam me, confugiam ad te, Ut merear defendi a te. Timeam mihi, timeam te, Et sim inter electos a te. Diffidam mihi, fidam in te. Obedire velim propter te. Ad nihil afficiar nisi ad te, Et pauper sim propter te. Aspice me, ut diligam te. Voca me, ut videam te, Et in aeternum fruar te. Amen.

[3] Veni, Sancte Spiritus, et emitte caelitus lucis tuae radium. Veni, pate pauperum, veni, dator munerum veni, lumen cordium. Consolator optime, dulcis hospes animae, dulce refrigerium. In labore requies, in aestu temperies in fletu solatium. O lux beatissima, reple cordis intima tuorum fidelium. Sine tuo numine, nihil est in homine, nihil est innoxium. Lava quod est sordidum, riga quod est aridum, sana quod est saucium. Flecte quod est rigidum, fove quod est frigidum, rege quod est devium. Da tuis fidelibus, in te confidentibus, sacrum septenarium. Da virtutis meritum, da salutis exitum, da perenne gaudium, Amen, Alleluia.

[4] Ave, Maris Stella, Dei Mater alma, Atque semper virgo, Felix coeli porta. Sumens illud Ave Gabrielis ore, Funda nos in pace, Mutans Evae nomen. Solve vincia reis Profer lumen caecis, Mala nostra pelle, Bona cuncta posce. Monstra te esse Matrem, Sumat per te preces Qui pro nobis natus, Tulit esse tuus. Virgo singularis, Inter omnes mitis, Nos culpis solutos Mites fac et castos. Vitam praesta puram, Iter para tutum; Ut videntes Jesum Semper collaetemur. Sit laus Deo Patri, Summo Christo decus, Spiritui Sancto, Tribus honor unus.  Amen.