# A quick, easy, and secure way to holiness
*2017-04-15*

> Bill Young discusses Day 7 of the '33 Days to Morning Glory' retreat, focusing on the teachings of St. Louis de Montfort regarding the benefits of Marian consecration.

## The Generosity of Marian Consecration

Today we conclude the first week of the Marian consecration retreat, '33 Days to Morning Glory.' Over the last few days, we have learned about the beautiful benefits of being consecrated to Jesus through Mary, both for ourselves and for those closest to us. Today, we focus specifically on how this consecration serves as a quick, easy, and secure way to holiness.

It is important to remember that these benefits do not entitle us to simply kick back and take it easy. That would be the 'self-love' that St. Louis de Montfort warned against. Instead, we should recognize God's generosity in giving us such a gift and strive to live it out more honorably to grow in holiness.

## The Quick and Easy Path

When we speak of holiness, we are speaking of dying to self, which is never truly 'easy.' However, the way of consecration to Jesus through Mary is relatively quick and easy compared to the path one takes relying solely on their own will. St. Louis de Montfort explains that just as there are secret laws of nature that allow certain operations to be performed more easily and in less time, there is a 'secret order of grace' by which we can rid ourselves of self and fill ourselves with God more efficiently.

By giving ourselves to Jesus through Mary, she leads us to Him. While she does not take away our crosses—and in fact, those beloved by Mary often carry more crosses than others—she makes those crosses sweet and light. Through the action of the Holy Spirit, Mary prepares her servants to accept their crosses with a pure love that makes them gladly acceptable, much like sugar preserves fruit.

## The Mold of Mary

St. Louis de Montfort uses a powerful analogy to describe this process: the difference between a sculptor who spends weeks of hard labor hammering away with a chisel to create a statue, and an artist who creates the same statue quickly and easily by using a mold. Mary is that mold. She forms us into the image of Christ more perfectly and more quickly than we could achieve on our own.

## A Secure Path Against Evil

Finally, this path is secure. St. Louis states that Mary surrounds her children and accompanies them like a battling army. If a man with hundreds of thousands of soldiers around him has little to fear from his enemies, how much less should a faithful servant of Mary fear? The good mother would rather dispatch battalions of millions of angels to assist her servant than allow a faithful soul who trusts her to succumb to the malice of the enemy.

## Examples of Faithful Service

Reflecting on this, we can look to St. Conrad, a German-born monk whose feast day is April 20th. He lived a simple life as a doorman at a Marian shrine, spending his days praying the Rosary with visitors, giving alms, and caring for those in need. His simple, prayerful life is a wonderful example of the path we seek through this consecration.

*By using Mary as the 'mold' to form us, we can achieve holiness and carry our crosses with greater ease and merit than by relying on our own will.*