Ave Maria Meditations
St. John Paul II wrote, “I was already convinced that Mary leads us to Christ, but then I began to realize also that Christ leads us to His Mother. At one point, I began to question my devotion to Mary, believing that if it became too great, it might end up compromising the supremacy of the worship due to Christ.
At that time, I was greatly helped by a book by St. Louis Marie de Monfort, entitled Treatise of True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. There I found the answers to my questions. Yes, Mary does bring us closer to Christ, she does lead us to Him, provided that we live her mystery in Christ. The author was an outstanding theologian. His Maria- logical thought is rooted in the mystery of the Trinity, and in the truth of the Incarnation of the Word of God.
I then came to understand why the church says the Angeles three times a day. I realized how important are the words of that prayer: the Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary and she conceived of the Holy Spirit…behold the handmade of the Lord: be it done unto me according to your word…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Such powerful words! The deepest reality of the greatest event ever to take place in human history.”
