Memorial of Saints (December 18)

St. Flannan of Killaloe was a bishop of Ireland. Tradition says that he was a disciple of Molua - founder of the Killaloe monastery. Flannan made a pilgrimage to Rome where he was consecrated bishop by Pope John IV. He became abbot-bishop of Killaloe when he returned home from his pilgrimage in Rome. Flannan became an itinerant-preacher. The Cathedral at Killaloe housed his relics. The remote Flannan Islands off the coast of Scotland are named after him (died ca. 7th century A.D.).

Sts. Rufus and Zosimus were citizens of Antioch. They were brought to Rome with St. Ignatius of Antioch during the reign of Emperor Trajan - a reign that persecuted many Christians. Rufus and Zosimus were condemned to death and thrown to the wild beasts in the arena two days before the martyrdom of St. Ignatius of Antioch (died ca. 107 A.D.).

St. Gatian was one of the six missionary bishops who accompanied St. Denis to Gaul. He preached in the area around Tours for 50 years and is considered the first bishop of that city. Nothing else is known about this Saint, except that he was one of the instruments by which the Christian faith was planted in what is now present-day France (died ca. 301 A.D.).

St. Winebald went to Rome where he studied for seven years. After a brief journey back to his native England, he returned to Rome to devote himself to a religious life. In 793 A.D., he went as a missionary with St. Boniface to Germany and worked in Thuringia, where he was ordained. His brother St. Willibald became bishop of Eichstätt. Also, together with his sister St. Walburga, they founded a double monastery at Heidenheim - a monastery which developed into a leading spiritual and educational center (died ca. 761 A.D.).

The Writings and Spirituality of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort

God Alone: The Collected Writings of St. Louis Marie de Montfort by Montfort Publications

This book is a rare find. It is valuable especially for those who are into Marian and Montfortian spirituality, like the members of the Legion of Mary and other mandated Catholic organizations with a devotion to the Blessed Mother.

"God Alone"

Montfort's spiritual experience led him to acclaim the spiritual truth that God alone is necessary for one's relationship with the world, with the flesh, and to avoid the temptations of the evil. This is not far from St. Teresa of Avila's spiritual intuition of "Solo Dios Basta" - 'God alone suffices'. This spiritual intuition of Montfort developed all the more when Montfort had a problem in relationship with his bishop who ordered him to pull down his project of building a Calvary of statues for the people he was preaching a mission to in France.

In the acclamation of "God alone", Montfort was taught to live a more spiritual and contemplative life according to the radical spirit of the gospel. A radical spirit which demands a radical response of being "not of the world". This tradition has always given life to those who enter, live, or have lived as religious - a life of complete surrender to God and his will.

Montfort and his writings

Montfortian writings have influenced the Church a great deal, especially in relation to Marian devotion. The spirituality has influenced Frank Duff, who founded the Legion of Mary in Ireland. It has also influenced St. John Paul II, who read Montfort's 'True Devotion to Mary', and made the consecration to Christ-Wisdom through Mary with the promise of 'Totus Tuus' [I am all yours and all that I have is yours]. Totus Tuus is the consecratory formula used in consecrating oneself to God through the hands of Mary. The process of going through this consecration is akin to the Jesuit pattern of making the Scriptures part of the spiritual journey. (author's note: St. Louis-Marie had studied under the Jesuits)

List of Montfort's writings published in this collection

Given below is a list of Montfort's writings published in this collection. The writings published are complete and would be very good for those who already have some introductory knowledge of Montfort and his writings. Although it takes time to really understand Montfort's writings, as one gets familiar with the context of his spirituality, the reader will ultimately understand the deep spirituality that Montfort has developed out of his love for God and the Blessed Virgin Mary. His deep love for God and Mary is very well rooted in all his writings: from his personal letters, his books and sermons, and even in the constitutions which he composed for the three congregations that sprang from his spirituality: the Montfort Missionaries, the Daughters of Wisdom, and the Brothers of St. Gabriel.

• Letters
• The Love of Eternal Wisdom
• Letter to the Friends of the Cross
• The Secret of the Rosary
• Methods for Saying the Rosary
• The Secret of Mary
• True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin
• Prayer for Missionaries
• Rule of the Missionary Priests of the Company of Mary
• Letter to the Members of the Company
• The Wisdom Cross of Poitiers
• Original Rule of the Daughters of Wisdom
• Maxims and Lessons of Divine Wisdom
• Letter to the People of Montbernage
• The Rules
• The Covenant with God
• Saint Louis Marie de Montfort's Will
• Morning and Night Prayers
• Hymns
• Rules on Voluntary Poverty in the Early Church
• Four Short Meditations on the Religious Life
• Sermons
• Dispositions for a Happy Death

Wisdom in Montfortian spirituality

An important spiritual intuition of Montfort is his insight on Jesus as the Eternal Wisdom of God. This intuition has a basis in Scripture - especially in 1 Corinthians 1:23,

"but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength".

Montfort's basic spiritual intuition in his life and mission has this Scripture passage as his understanding that Jesus is the Eternal Wisdom of God who was incarnated in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary and became man that we may be saved from our sins. It is this same intuition which led him to teach his followers that as Christ-Wisdom was incarnated the first time through Mary, so will Christ-Wisdom come again in the end times: through the Blessed Virgin Mary. And this is a mystery that cannot perceived as a specific time in the future, but which the Father in heaven alone knows.

The collected writings as a whole

This book would be of great value to those who have made their consecration to Jesus through Mary. For starters, reading the biography on Montfort and his letters are material enough to learn of Montfort's spirituality and his teaching. Those who want to deepen their spiritual life in the Catholic faith would find in this book a way of understanding their faith from the perspective of prayer, Marian devotion, consecration and mission.

Carmelite Spirituality

Mt. Carmel in Palestine: An Origin and Symbol of Carmelite Spirituality

Introduction

Carmelite spirituality was made popular for contemporary times by the writings of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross (whose feast was celebrated last December 14), St. Therese of Lisieux, and St. Edith Stein (who was influenced by St. Teresa and St. John). Teresa and John hail from the sixteenth century A.D.; St. Therese comes from the nineteenth century A.D.; and Edith Stein lived in the twentieth century A.D. - more particularly between the two world wars.

Origin of Carmel

The group of hermits who lived in Mt. Carmel in Palestine was organized by the Patriarch of Jerusalem - St. Albert. St. Albert gave them a rule. This rule systematized the hermits' way of life between the years 1206 to 1214 A.D. The rule is known as the Rule of St. Albert - a rule very distinct from the classical monastic rules of St. Basil, St. Benedict, and St. Augustine. The short and unique rule of St. Albert can be understood if one studies the context of meaning understood during the middle ages. It is to be understood in terms of the ways of life of: the hermit, the pilgrim, and the mendicant.

The hermit, the pilgrim and the mendicant

Hermits during the Middle Ages chose not to live the ordered life of the monasteries but rather sought out the desert, or any solitary place where they can seek Christ in prayer, listening and solitude. Pilgrims on the other hand, are those who seek Christ by travelling to holy places - with the Holy Land as the ultimate destination. They travel very simply and are kept on the move by their vow. The third way of life is followed by the mendicants. These are people who follow Christ in a poor way of life: often identifying themselves with the poor, the hungry, the sick, and the beggars around them.

Spiritual formation in Carmel

The first "Carmelites", those Latin hermits who were organized by St. Albert, were formed spiritually in Christ through the rule of St. Albert and through the integration of the three ways of life: the hermit, the pilgrim, and the mendicant. In short, and to put it simply, these first Carmelites were really hermit-pilgrim-mendicants who lived in Mt. Carmel near the Spring of Elijah and sought to come closer to Christ in prayer and solitude. If one examines the title of one of the works of Carmelite St. John of the Cross, you will see that in his writing, "The Ascent of Mount Carmel". The title itself already integrates the image of a pilgrim ascending a mountain where he can be absorbed in God alone - reaching the heights for Him at the top of the mountain, but still rooted on solid ground.

What Carmel can teach all today

From the early Carmelites, one can learn the value of solitude and silence in a prayerful seeking of Christ. You can also learn the value of detachment from worldly concerns and earthly desires. Moreover, since the symbol of "hermit-pilgrim-mendicant" entails a totally different world from what all know in present day life, a question for reflection can still be posed: how much can one give up something to be in union with Christ? One's response to this question depends entirely on one's particular walk of life. But, whatever is one's present situtation, the ground and direction of Carmelite spirituality is really to live in simplicity; to be more charitable to the poor; and to understand our calling to be plain stewards of the Lord's blessings. In conclusion, Carmelite spirituality calls all today to give more time for solitude and prayer, and to see that the Christian life is sometimes like climbing a mountain, as a poor pilgrim, and to be alone in his search for God. This "retreat" can lead anyone to be revitalized with a renewed spirit, and an ardent desire to serve God and others again in the very circumstances in which he is.