St.

Louis Marie de Montfort on the Eucharist and Mary

Excerpts from the book: Jesus Living in Mary Handbook of the Spirituality of St. Louis Marie de Montfort published by Montfort Publications in Bayshore, NY, 1994) (Reprinted with permission of the publisher)

The French school had a deep insight into the role of Mary at the Incarnation and, therefore, in all the mysteries of Christ. It is not surprising that Montfort experienced a further deepening of the mysteries through the Blessed Virgin. St. Louis Marie highlighted the Mary/Eucharist relationship. The Sacraments, rooted in the economy of salvation, are essentially the actualization of the historical mysteries of Christ. Since Mary gave the Redeemer his flesh and blood, it follows that she cannot but be involved in the mysteries that are a unique memorial of the same flesh and blood, that is, the Eucharist. In light of these theological principles, Montfort elaborated his teaching, which is full of grateful admiration for the Father, that the Father through the Holy Spirit has entrusted His Son to Mary. This praise extends to Mary as well, as her "fiat" made it possible for us to share the Eucharistic body and blood of her Son: "It was you, Virgin Mary, /Who gave us this body and blood / Which raises our status so high / that it is beyond the reach of the angels. May you be blessed throughout the world / For giving us such a great gift" (H [Hymns] 134:11). The Blessed Virgins motherly care and concern for her faithful servants is epitomized in the fact that "she gives them the Son she has born, the Bread of Life" (TD [True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin] 208, which is full of scriptural quotations and allusions and is concerned with this particular term). It is Wisdom who prepares the table and says, "Come eat the bread which is Jesus. Drink the wine of his love which I have mixed for you with the milk of my breasts" (TD 208). With great sensitivity and in great depth, Montfort draws attention to the presence and action of Mary in the Eucharist without detriment to the excellence of the redeeming work of Christ. Mary is mediatrix of Communion: "As Mary is the treasurer and dispenser of the gifts and graces of the Most High God, she reserves a choice portion, indeed the choicest portion, to nourish and sustain her children and servants. They grow strong on the Bread of Life; they are made joyful with the wine that brings forth virgins. They are carried at her breast" (TD 208). In the conviction that sacramental Communion necessarily involves the presence of Mary, Montfort concludes TD with an exhortation to receive Holy Communion in union with Mary. She receives in us and for us the Word of God made Bread. The reason for this is that she received the Word of God "in her heart and in her body," as the Church Fathers put it. In the last few pages of TD (266-273), Montfort tells us why and how we should unite ourselves with Mary before, during, and after Holy Communion; his aim is to demonstrate clearly that in us and through us Holy Communion binds Christ and Mary together again. In other words, the union between Christ and Mary, which took place at a definite time and place, is repeated in a sacramental way when the faithful united with Mary receive Holy Communion.

In accordance with the thinking of the time, Montfort made no explicit mention of the ecclesial aspect of Holy Communion; if we make allowance for this, we can safely say that Montforts teaching on the Christ/Mary/faithful relationship is extraordinarily clear from the theological standpoint. In practice, the relationship reflects the mystery of the oblation and communion that united in one heart Christ, Mary, and John at the time of the supreme sacrifice, which redeemed humanity (cf. Jn 19:25-27). It was precisely because he had in mind the conformity of the faithful to Jesus Christ, with Mary playing an allimportant role, that Montfort envisaged and introduced the Consecration to Jesus through the hands of Mary, which he meant to be made in close connection with Holy Communion: "They should go to confession and Holy Communion with the intention of consecrating themselves to Jesus through Mary as his slaves of love. When receiving Holy Communion they could follow the method given later on [cf. TD 266-273]. They then recite the act of consecration" (TD 231; cf. also SM [The Secret of Mary] 61, 76). In the method that Montfort suggests for receiving Holy Communion in union with Mary, the three Persons of the Holy Trinity are clearly involved; the prayers to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit on the common basis of "Lord I am not worthy" (TD 267-269) highlight the relationship of each of the Divine Persons with the Eucharist and with Mary. Finally, a theme dear to the heart of the missionary: the Eucharistic life of Mary, which he mentions in the hymn to the Blessed Sacrament on Saturdays (H 134). Jesus instituted the Eucharist in order to remain with Mary even after his death on the Cross and his Ascension; so he keeps coming back to her "nourishing her with his own body which she nourished when he was an infant"; "in exchange for the milk of her most pure breast, he strengthens her with his divine Blood"; the Blessed Virgin is the perfect model of all who receive Holy Communion.

1. "Hail, Jesus, Son of Mary, in the sacred Host you are the true God". Joining in spirit with those attending the 19th International Marian Congress, I recall the words from a hymn that in Poland often accompanies Eucharistic adoration and processions. I repeat them because they contain the truth that, together with praising Christ present in the mystery of the Eucharist, almost of necessity we recall the memory of the Mother of God. It is thanks to her generous fiat that the Word of God was made flesh by the work of the Holy Spirit. She offered her own body to the Word so that he might take it upon himself and the miracle of the Divine Incarnation would be accomplished. In her virginal womb Mary bore the Incarnate Word, awaiting "with love beyond al1 telling" the birth of the Saviour-as the liturgy states (Pref. of Advent II). When she gave birth to the Son of God she was, in a certain sense, the first to worship his presence among men. Together with Joseph she took the Divine Child to the temple to offer him to God according to the prescriptions of the law. Even then, through the words

of Simeon, God had revealed to her that the sword of sorrow would pierce her heart, when her Son became the sign of contradiction 'for the fall and rising of many!' (Lk 2:34). This was the announcement of Mary's participation in the saving work of Christ, Priest and Victim, which was to be accomplished on Golgotha. "At the foot of the Cross out of love for your Son, she extended her motherhood to all men, born again from by the death of Christ for a life that will never end.... Taken up into heavenly glory, with maternal love she accompanies the Church and protects her on the way to her homeland until the glorious day of the Lord" (Italian Missal, Pref. of the Blessed Virgin Mary III) Every Holy Mass makes present in an unbloody manner that unique and perfect sacrifice, offered by Christ on the Cross, in which Mary participated, joined in spirit with her suffering Son, lovingly consenting to his sacrifice and offering her own sorrow to the Father (cf. Lumen gentium, n. 58). Therefore when we celebrate the Eucharist, the memorial of Christ's passover, the memory of his Mother's suffering is also made alive and present, this Mother who, as an unsurpassable model, teaches the faithful to unite themselves more intimately to the sacrifice of her Son, the one Redeemer. Through spiritual communion with the sorrowful Mother of God, believers share in a special way in the paschal mystery and are opened to this extraordinary action of the Holy Spirit which produces a supernatural joy because of communion with the glorious Christ, on the example of the joy granted to Mary in the glory of heaven, as the first person to share in the fruits of the Redemption. 2. Mary and the Eucharist. The organizers of the 19th International Marian Congress in Jasna Gora proposed this as a theme for study and prayer. And it is a correct choice, especially in view of the International Eucharistic Congress that will be held next year in Krakow. In this way, just as Mary is present at the beginning of the mission of the Incarnate Word, and thereby at the origins of the Eucharist as well, the Marian Congress this year marks the start of the Church's spiritual preparation to make the Eucharistic Congress a fruitful experience. May these days bring you all close to her who-throughout her life in communon with her Son, not only by ties of blood but especially by love -is the most perfect Teacher of that love which enables us to be united in the deepest way with Christ in the mystery of his Eucharistic presence. Let Mary lead us to the Eucharist! I ask all of you who are gathered in Jasna Gora for the Marian Congress to pray for the intentions of the Church and the world. As we give thanks for 20 centuries of Mary's protection of the Church, let us together ask her to lead believers towards an ever more perfect knowledge of the saving power of the Sacrifice of Christ, who is present

in the Eucharist. Let us pray that the living experience of communion with Christ may bear fruits of zeal in the hearts of all Christians as they build up a communion of love among men. May the Mother of God lead us into the third millennium, united around the Word of God who was made flesh in her. I cordially bless you all. Castel Gandolfo, 15 August 1996. IOANNES PAULUS PP. II

Our Lady and the Eucharist

Gerald Francis
It is no accident that when there is a decline in Marian devotion Eucharistic devotions also suffer. When the Protestant revolt divided Christendom in Europe, it eventually disregarded the belief in the Real Presence of our Lord in the Eucharist and abolished the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the central act of Christian worship. But first Mary was put down a s being a rather unnecessary accessory in the plan of redemption. The truth is that Mary's whole role in the Church is to lead us to her Divine Son. Neglect her; then the surest, quickest and easiest way to her Divine Son is cancelled out. Ignore the Woman of Faith and our faith in the Real Presence will falter and fail as it has among our Protestant separated brethren, and now even among many Catholics who obviously do not believe that God is present in the Eucharist since they show our Lord little or no respect and reverence. The inseparable bond that exists between Mary and the Eucharist is brought out in many ways. But for the sake of simplicity, let us lightly touch upon three major categories, namely, the Church, the lives of the Saints and the Marian shrines.

Pope Paul VI on Mary and the Eucharist

It was Pope Paul VI who declared Mary the Mother of the Church at the close of the Second Vatican Council, who visited her shrine at Fatima in 1967 and continuously exhorted Catholics to pray her Rosary. He also published the great Encyclical on the Holy Eucharist, "Mysterium Fidei". On the last page of that Encyclical he wrote this beautiful tribute to our Blessed Mother showing the unbroken link that has to exist between her and Christ who is physically present in the Eucharist: He wrote: "May the Most Blessed Virgin Mary from whom Christ Our Lord took the flesh which under the species of bread and wine 'in contained, offered and consumed,' may all the saints of God, especially those who burned with a more ardent devotion to the Divine Eucharist, intercede before the Father of mercies so that from this same faith in and devotion toward the Eucharist may result and flourish a perfect unity of communion among all Christians."

This Pope, who made such strenuous effort in bringing about Christian community and union among all Christian sects, placed his trust and confidence for this union in Mary Immaculate and the Sacrament of unity, the Eucharist. This is but one quote from one Pope. One would be hard pressed to find a single Pope who would, at the same time, be dedicated to our Lady and have little or no devotion to the Eucharist and vice versa. Mary and the Eucharist are intricately linked in the mind of the highest authority of the Catholic Church, the Papacy. In the prayer life of the Church we see this close connection. In the Litany of Loreto our Lady is called the Ark of the covenant. Now the Ark of the covenant in the Old Testament was where God took up his abode. Mary is the Ark of the new covenant which is no less than the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity who took up His abode in Mary's womb for nine months. She was thus the first tabernacle of our Lord. Perhaps the inseparable bond between Mary and the Eucharist is no better seen than in the lives of the Saints. These heroic men and women, who lived the Christ-life to the fullest and were perfectly attuned to the action of the Holy Spirit, were without exception devoted to the Eucharist and the Blessed Mother. One particular Saint comes to mind because of his outstanding devotion to the Eucharist. In fact he founded a special Order to promote Eucharistic Adoration. St. Peter Julian Eymard, before he founded his Order, belonged to a Society that was especially dedicated to Mary in her Immaculate Conception. It was towards the end of his life that he asked his spiritual sons and daughters to address Mary and venerate her under the title of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. Thus Mary would be intricately linked with our Lord's Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. She who first conceived Jesus by faith in her heart gave Him the immaculate dwelling place where His humanity developed. And now she is nurturing our faith so that we can grow in our love and devotion to that mystery of faith, the Eucharist. Commenting on this role of our Lady in our own personal sanctification, St. Peter said: "The more you allow Mary to work within you through your Communions, the more will Christ be glorified." Another outstanding incident in the lives of the Saints is that famous dream which St. John Bosco had in 1862. He saw a prophetic naval battle symbolizing the conflict the Church would have in our day with the forces of evil. As the bark of Peter was being buffeted on all sides by enemy ships in a tremendous naval battle, two immense stone columns rose from the sea. And the bard of Peter anchored itself safely between these two columns. Atop one of these columns was the statue of Mary, and inscribed below it were the words, "Help of Christians." Atop the other column was a large host with the inscription below it, "Salvation of Believers." As the bark of Peter anchored itself to these two columns, the ships that were assaulting it were either destroyed or lost their ability to assault the bark of Peter. At the base of one of these columns were two numerals, 19 and two dashes which would indicate that this great victory of the forces of Christ would be realized sometime in the 20th Century through devotion to Mary Immaculate and our Lord present in the Eucharist.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Though it is a bit early to canonize Mother Teresa of Calcutta, there are many who consider her a Saint. In her talks in the United States the heart of her message seemed to be centered on the Eucharist and our Lady. It is there two pillars which she pointed out that are the mainstay of her Order and have given such phenomenal success to the work of tending to the poorest of the poor. Every day for one hour her nuns adore our Eucharistic Lord exposed on the altar. They also try to live their lives in joyful imitation of the Mother of God reciting many Rosaries as they walk through the streets of Calcutta seeking out the homeless, the unwanted and the lepers to take them into their home for the dying. Mother Teresa said that it is our Lady who protected her sisters from any harm whatsoever, even in some of the world's most dangerous cities and neighborhoods. The dedication and sacrifice that is required of her religious community is beautifully summarized in their motto, "To be eaten up by the people." How did she and her religious endure such great sacrifice daily and consistently? Mother Teresa's own words give us the answer: "It is labor; it is not only work-it is hard labor. But we wouldn't be able to do it unless we had Mass and Holy Communion in the morning. I remember when the Prime Minister of Yemen asked for our Sisters to come there. I made only one condition: I can give you the Sisters only if you allow a priest to come. For without Jesus I cannot send them. He accepted. So now after 800 years there is Mass and Holy Communion in Yemen. There is a tabernacle in an area surrounded by Moslems who previously had not a sign of Christianity. Now there is a living God amongst them. I know I wouldn't be able to work one week if it were not for that continual force coming from Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. All of us know that unless we believe and can see Jesus in the appearance of bread on the altar, we will not be able to see Him in the distressing disguise of the poor. Therefore these two loves are but one in Jesus."

Marian Shrines are Eucharistic Shrines

But perhaps nowhere is the close link between Mother and Son, Immaculate Virgin and Eucharistic Christ, more apparent than in the Marian shrines that are found throughout the world. When our Lady came for the first time in her many modern-day apparitions at Rue du Bac in Paris in 1830, she told St. Catherine Laboure to come to the foot of the altar where great graces would be bestowed on all who ask for them. Our Lady asked that a church be built on the site of her apparitions at Lourdes, which of course indicates that she wanted the Eucharistic Sacrifice to be celebrated there as well as Christ's Presence in the tabernacle. In every one of Mary's great sanctuaries Mary is not venerated in isolation. She brings all the pilgrims to the foot of the altar where they may gain great graces from her Divine Son. This is particularly true at Fatima and Lourdes, as it is at these great Marian sanctuaries that there are large processions in which the Eucharist is carried, and in which a bishop as

a rule blessed the sick. On these occasions tremendous miraculous cures are brought about, both physical and spiritual. Just to mention one physical cure out of tens of thousands that have taken place over the years: Mary Tessier was desperately ill with tuberculosis peritonitis when she was brought to Lourdes. She had been confined to bed for three years and was in constant pain and hemorrhaging, and the doctors gave her no hope whatsoever. She was cured during the procession of the Blessed Sacrament, and her cure has been accepted by the Medical Bureau in Lourdes. At Fatima it is a well-known fact that an Angel of Peace came first to Francisco, Jacinta and Lucia in 1916. He prepared the way for the later apparitions of Mary Immaculate. When he appeared the third time in dazzling beauty before the three seers, he held in his left hand a chalice, and in his right over the chalice, a host form which drops of blood could be seen falling into the chalice. Leaving the host and the chalice suspended in midair, he prostrated himself touching the ground with his forehead. Then he said the following prayer three times: "Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I adore you profoundly. I offer you the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for all the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I pray for the conversion of poor sinners." The Angel then rose and took the chalice and host into his hands. He communicated the host to Lucy, the contents of the chalice he gave to Jacinta and Francisco, saying: "Take and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their sins and console your God." How seriously Francisco took these words to heart is illustrated in the remaining years of his life. When the seers were sent to school, Francisco realizing that he had but a short time to live, did not have any desire to go to school, but told his sister and cousin to go ahead and he would remain in church where he could make reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is offended. So penetrated was Francisco with the love of what he called "the hidden God," that he often spent many hours on his knees in silent adoration before the tabernacle.

Communion of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart

To better grasp the close relationship between Our Lady of Fatima and the Eucharist, we have but to remind ourselves of the fact that one of the conditions our Lady asked for to bring about world peace was the five first Saturday Masses and Communions of reparation to her Immaculate Heart. It is also true that at Fatima, the night before these great feast days on the 13th of each month from May through October, the people arrive early in the evening and spend the whole night as a rule in prayer before the Eucharistic Lord. It is providential that the feast day of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament which

was originally set by St. Peter Julian Eymard for May 8th was transferred to May 13th, the anniversary date of the first apparition of our Lady at Fatima. From this very cursory summary showing the intimate and all embracing relationship between our Lady and our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, we can readily see that one cannot have one without the other. To reverse the trend of diminution of faith in the Real Presence of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, there has to be a return of true devotion to Mary Immaculate. When Catholics anchor their faith on these two indestructible, inseparable pillars-the Eucharist and our Lady-then the enemy will be defeated and a great calm will descend upon both the Church and the world. CHAPTER SIX -- AT THE SCHOOL OF MARY, "WOMAN OF THE EUCHARIST" 53. If we wish to rediscover in all its richness the profound relationship between the Church and the Eucharist, we cannot neglect Mary, Mother and model of the Church. In my Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, I pointed to the Blessed Virgin Mary as our teacher in contemplating Christ's face, and among the mysteries of light I included the institution of the Eucharist.102 Mary can guide us towards this most holy sacrament, because she herself has a profound relationship with it. At first glance, the Gospel is silent on this subject. The account of the institution of the Eucharist on the night of Holy Thursday makes no mention of Mary. Yet we know that she was present among the Apostles who prayed "with one accord" (cf. Acts 1:14) in the first community which gathered after the Ascension in expectation of Pentecost. Certainly Mary must have been present at the Eucharistic celebrations of the first generation of Christians, who were devoted to "the breaking of bread" (Acts 2:42). But in addition to her sharing in the Eucharistic banquet, an indirect picture of Mary's relationship with the Eucharist can be had, beginning with her interior disposition. Mary is a "woman of the Eucharist" in her whole life. The Church, which looks to Mary as a model, is also called to imitate her in her relationship with this most holy mystery. 54. Mysterium fidei! If the Eucharist is a mystery of faith which so greatly transcends our understanding as to call for sheer abandonment to the word of God, then there can be no one like Mary to act as our support and guide in acquiring this disposition. In repeating what Christ did at the Last Supper in obedience to his command: "Do this in memory of me!", we also accept Mary's invitation to obey him without hesitation: "Do whatever he tells you" (Jn 2:5). With the same maternal concern which she showed at the wedding feast of Cana, Mary seems to say to us: "Do not waver; trust in the words of my Son. If he was able to change water into wine, he can also turn bread and wine into his body and blood, and through this mystery bestow on believers the living memorial of his Passover, thus becoming the 'bread of life'". 55. In a certain sense Mary lived her Eucharistic faith even before the institution of the Eucharist, by the very fact that she offered her virginal womb for the Incarnation of

God's Word. The Eucharist, while commemorating the passion and resurrection, is also in continuity with the incarnation. At the Annunciation Mary conceived the Son of God in the physical reality of his body and blood, thus anticipating within herself what to some degree happens sacramentally in every believer who receives, under the signs of bread and wine, the Lord's body and blood. As a result, there is a profound analogy between the Fiat which Mary said in reply to the angel, and the Amen which every believer says when receiving the body of the Lord. Mary was asked to believe that the One whom she conceived "through the Holy Spirit" was "the Son of God" (Lk 1:30-35). In continuity with the Virgin's faith, in the Eucharistic mystery we are asked to believe that the same Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary, becomes present in his full humanity and divinity under the signs of bread and wine. "Blessed is she who believed" (Lk 1:45). Mary also anticipated, in the mystery of the incarnation, the Church's Eucharistic faith. When, at the Visitation, she bore in her womb the Word made flesh, she became in some way a "tabernacle" the first "tabernacle" in history in which the Son of God, still invisible to our human gaze, allowed himself to be adored by Elizabeth, radiating his light as it were through the eyes and the voice of Mary. And is not the enraptured gaze of Mary as she contemplated the face of the newborn Christ and cradled him in her arms that unparalleled model of love which should inspire us every time we receive Eucharistic communion? 56. Mary, throughout her life at Christ's side and not only on Calvary, made her own the sacrificial dimension of the Eucharist. When she brought the child Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem "to present him to the Lord" (Lk 2:22), she heard the aged Simeon announce that the child would be a "sign of contradiction" and that a sword would also pierce her own heart (cf. Lk 2:34-35). The tragedy of her Son's crucifixion was thus foretold, and in some sense Mary's Stabat Mater at the foot of the Cross was foreshadowed. In her daily preparation for Calvary, Mary experienced a kind of "anticipated Eucharist" one might say a "spiritual communion" of desire and of oblation, which would culminate in her union with her Son in his passion, and then find expression after Easter by her partaking in the Eucharist which the Apostles celebrated as the memorial of that passion. What must Mary have felt as she heard from the mouth of Peter, John, James and the other Apostles the words spoken at the Last Supper: "This is my body which is given for you" (Lk 22:19)? The body given up for us and made present under sacramental signs was the same body which she had conceived in her womb! For Mary, receiving the Eucharist must have somehow meant welcoming once more into her womb that heart which had beat in unison with hers and reliving what she had experienced at the foot of the Cross. 57. "Do this in remembrance of me" (Lk 22:19). In the "memorial" of Calvary all that Christ accomplished by his passion and his death is present. Consequently all that Christ did with regard to his Mother for our sake is also present. To her he gave the beloved

disciple and, in him, each of us: "Behold, your Son!". To each of us he also says: "Behold your mother!" (cf. Jn 19: 26-27). Experiencing the memorial of Christ's death in the Eucharist also means continually receiving this gift. It means accepting like John the one who is given to us anew as our Mother. It also means taking on a commitment to be conformed to Christ, putting ourselves at the school of his Mother and allowing her to accompany us. Mary is present, with the Church and as the Mother of the Church, at each of our celebrations of the Eucharist. If the Church and the Eucharist are inseparably united, the same ought to be said of Mary and the Eucharist. This is one reason why, since ancient times, the commemoration of Mary has always been part of the Eucharistic celebrations of the Churches of East and West. 58. In the Eucharist the Church is completely united to Christ and his sacrifice, and makes her own the spirit of Mary. This truth can be understood more deeply by rereading the Magnificat in a Eucharistic key. The Eucharist, like the Canticle of Mary, is first and foremost praise and thanksgiving. When Mary exclaims: "My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior", she already bears Jesus in her womb. She praises God "through" Jesus, but she also praises him "in" Jesus and "with" Jesus. This is itself the true "Eucharistic attitude". At the same time Mary recalls the wonders worked by God in salvation history in fulfillment of the promise once made to the fathers (cf. Lk 1:55), and proclaims the wonder that surpasses them all, the redemptive incarnation. Lastly, the Magnificat reflects the eschatological tension of the Eucharist. Every time the Son of God comes again to us in the "poverty" of the sacramental signs of bread and wine, the seeds of that new history wherein the mighty are "put down from their thrones" and "those of low degree are exalted" (cf. Lk 1:52), take root in the world. Mary sings of the "new heavens" and the "new earth" which find in the Eucharist their anticipation and in some sense their program and plan. The Magnificat expresses Mary's spirituality, and there is nothing greater than this spirituality for helping us to experience the mystery of the Eucharist. The Eucharist has been given to us so that our life, like that of Mary, may become completely a Magnificat!