1. To be fruitful, all the
exercises prescribed in the Rule should be performed in a spirit of praise for
God and for Mary, and as Saint Benedict said[1]
(144): Let us always remember what the
prophet tells us: ‘Serve the Lord with fear’ and again: Sing praises with wisdom, and I will praise
you in the presence of the Angels.[2] (145)
2. It should be the knight’s
constant concern to praise Our Lady. In addition to the practices outlined
above, he will show his deep and delicate love by a certain number of discreet
gestures, such as these: on entering a church he may, after genuflecting, greet
the Blessed Virgin by bowing slightly in the direction of her statue; on waking
he may direct his first thought to Our Lady by saying Ave Maria; during the Office he shall bow his head each time he
comes across the most sweet name of Mary; every prayer as well as any important
action of the day shall begin with the following verse and response:
v. Dignare me laudare te, Virgo Sacrata!
r. Da mihi virtutem contra hostes
tuos.
He will always wear the
Miraculous Medal in witness to his fidelity to his Queen.
3. On feasts of the B.V.M., the
knights will make some small extra offering to their Lady, a prayer or some
kind of courteous action, inspired by the Holy Spirit. They will also use their
ingenuity to think of other ways of expressing their love for her. Our Lady’s
smile, a grace accompanied by a thousand blessings, and the gift of peace and
charity, shall be their recompense.
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