Last week, we discussed the first five of the ten principal virtues of Our Lady, as they are listed by St. Louis de Montfort in his beloved work True Devotion to Mary: profound humility, lively faith, blind obedience, continual prayer, and universal mortification.
Today, we will finish with the latter five: divine purity, ardent charity, heroic patience, angelic sweetness, and divine wisdom.
Divine purity. To be pure of heart means that everything in your heart is of God and in accordance with His will. “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God…” Mary saw God more clearly than any other human because nothing blurred her vision of Him.
Ardent charity. Mary’s heart was the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. She was continually on fire with the love of God, and everything she did, said, and thought was motivated by this boundless love for God and for her neighbor for His sake.
Heroic patience. Our Lady encountered difficulties in her life as everyone on earth does. In fact, next to Jesus Himself, she suffered more than any human being who ever lived. But no matter how big or small the trial, she bore it patiently, without sourness, irritability, or despondence. Even the death of her Son was a trial she bore willingly—and heroically.
Mater Dolorosa by Carlo Dolci
Angelic sweetness. We might sometimes wonder what it would have been like to meet Our Lady on the streets of Nazareth. It would have been like meeting an angel. You wouldn’t have been the same afterwards. She radiated kindness, generosity, peace to everyone—even the most difficult individuals.
Divine wisdom. Mary’s ongoing contemplation of divine things caused her to see everything through the lens of the divine—which is a lens of perfect clarity and accuracy. Everything to her gained its proper perspective when viewed as part of God’s plan. She therefore possessed the gift of wisdom in the highest degree.
Contemplate Our Lady’s virtues often and strive to apply them to your life—but don’t do it alone. Our Lady herself is ready and waiting to help you imitate her virtues and guide you in the paths of God. She is our Mother, given to us by Christ Himself, and she loves us more than we can imagine. A beloved image of our Mother is a perfect way to draw your thoughts to her during the day and remind you to talk to her often. This beautiful depiction of the Madonna of the Streets will bring a touch of Marian devotion into your home. It also is a wonderful image for the Advent and Christmas season. Available today from the Catholic Company!
