THE TRUE DEVOTEE OF MARY

The True Devotee of Mary:
Poem/Hymn by St. Louis de Montfort

J'aime ardemment Marie" No. 76

1 God first, my Ransomer,
Then Mary ardently
I love. To win for her
One heart I'd gladly die.
O Mistress good, O Queen!
If we but knew her well
We'd hasten to be seen
In her best clientele.

2 Assuming here on earth
Our nature, God became
Docile to her from birth;
Let me then do the same.
Virgin most faithful, she
Shows to my steps the way.
Through her, grace comes to me;
To her, then, I must pray.

3 Jesus is glorified
By honors paid to her.
In error those abide
Who otherwise aver.
To love her Son the less
For loving her would be
An insult pardonless
To Christian piety.

4 Away then, heretic
With scruples overblown!
Away your false critique
And its presumptuous tone!
Unceasingly I'll pray
To her, my Paragon
Of grace, and in that way
Be pleasing to her Son.

5 In mercy she excels;
Great is her gentleness.
Not one soul she repels
That seeks her tenderness.
Jesus Himself constrains
My soul to grasp and prize
The grace her suffrage gains.
Dare I do otherwise?

6 She is Queen-Sovereign
Of all the universe.
Heaven is her domain;
Her heel is Satan's curse.
She is the treasurer
Of all Christ's goods. She lifts
Sin's bar and bids us share
The Holy Spirit's gifts.

7 She is the cloister-cell
Where God became a Child;
Where man, O miracle,
With God was reconciled.
She is God's daughter fair,
Mother of Grace Divine,
Made by her fiat-prayer
The Holy Spirit's shrine.

8 Unique while on this sphere,
The purest and the best,
She now is without peer
Among the Heaven-blest.
She is the greatest foe
Of Satan, Hell's dark prince;
Her very name is woe
To him and makes him wince.

9 St. Augustine makes clear
With total verity:
She is the image sheer
Of the Divinity.
Through her and her consents
The Lord has set us free.
She is the sea immense
Of all His Majesty.

10 Although enthroned in light
Near God, her very Son,
She witnesses our plight
And pleads for everyone.
Purgation's fire severe
She enters, setting free
The chained, while demons hear
Her chant of victory.

11 She is more radiant
Than all the Cherubim;
She is more luminant
Than all the Seraphim.
Outside the Trinity
And solely by God's grace
In Heaven's galaxy
She holds the highest place.

12 Under her queenly sway
I'll never be afraid
To beg her: Do away
With Satan's dark charade!
As her devoted liege,
My hope is to be given
After this pilgrimage
A higher place in Heaven.

13 My gracious Queen, accept
These accents unbeguiled,
These pleadings so inept.
I'm but a simple child.
Better than I can do,
Let others take your part.
May all men offer you
A present of their heart.

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