(Mt 5:1-19)
I know of two published manuals for total consecration to Mary according to St. Louis Marie de Montfort. The most widely used and published is by the Montfort Missionaries or Company of Mary (SMM). The second is published by the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (MICM). The structure for the consecrations are the same for the most part. However, the readings for each day are different. The readings in the manual published by SMM are focused and in general shorter than the manual published by MICM. The Slaves have chosen to plow through the complete chapters of Scripture and Imitation of Christ that were assigned in the True Devotion to Mary, while the Montfortians have used selections from the chapters. Another difference is whether the readings are done before or after the prayers.
Since the manual by the SMM seems to be thematic, I will be following the readings assigned in it, but I will not accept the translations found in that book. The deficiency of translation shows up in the first day, from chapter 5 of the Gospel according to St. Matthew covering the Sermon on the Mount. Instead using the word “blessed” the translation uses “happy.” That leads to the incomprehensible phrase, “Happy those who mourn.”
Day one covers the Beatitudes, which is a great place for any Christian to start. If we’re to renounce the spirit of the world, it’s a great idea to get us focused on our final end, which hopefully will be to meet God face to face.
- “Blessed are the poor in spirit” – We’re to be detached from all these things in the world. We choose God before all else, and not the other way around. Therefore, we should be watchful of our priorities to ensure that some thing does not lead us away from God.
- “Blessed are they who mourn” – It’s not the evils and sufferings that come upon us that gives us access to joy, but rather how we respond. We’re to unite our sufferings to that of Christ on the Cross. These days, we should be mournful for all those lives cut short in the womb and for all the mothers who feel the pain of abortion. This is the great crime of our age.
- “Blessed are the meek” – This seems to be the most troublesome. For what is meant by “meek”? We’re to be humble, but not a false humility which fails to recognize our worth. But of course, the great danger is not a false humility, but whether we’re really humble in the first place. Who is the center of your universe?
- “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” – Do we earnestly desire to do good, and avoid evil? As Jesus tells us, let us be perfect as the Father is perfect. Do we want to see justice be done for all?
- “Blessed are the merciful” – Do we forgive, or do we demand that the smallest injustice done against us be paid in full measure? It seems that this beatitude might contradict the previous one. For us, mercy and justice seem to be on two different ends of a pole. But in God, they are one. Justice will be done, and God is merciful.
- “Blessed are the clean of heart” – The first thought comes to sexual purity, since our culture is awash in impurity. But there are wider applications besides lust, such as greed and gluttony. Keep in mind that the heart is the core of our being. We cannot be pure unless our heart is pure.
- “Blessed are the peacemakers” – Not only are we talking about national peacemakers, but also those who keep peace in families and in the community. Do you seek out enemies or friends?
- “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness” – Are we willing to suffer to see justice done? Easier said than done.
The Sermon on the Mount continues with the admonition that we remain true to the Gospel, and that we not hide the Gospel. For Christians, religion is not merely a private affair but communal. Do we love others, including non-Christians? And Jesus proclaims that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. Thus the Ten Commandments are not erased by the Beatitudes, but rather, it’s that the Ten Commandments are fully expressed by the Beatitudes. One tells us what we shouldn’t do, while the other tells us what we should do. It’s not enough to avoid evil, but rather we must also do good.
Point yourself in the right direction. Orient yourself toward God.
