1. In his biography of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Bonaventure explained Francis’ relationship to Mary as one of unspeakable, inexpressible affection:
“He [St. Francis] embraced the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ with indescribable love, because she had made the Lord of Majesty our brother and had obtained mercy for us. After Christ it was Mary in whom he placed his trust and whom he chose as advocate, both for himself and his brothers” (9:3).
2. Our Blessed Mother will be a great source and example for the Knights’ consecrated life, as she was the first to give a complete and total “yes” (cf. Lk. 1:38) to having the Word in her life. She received Him, carried Him, gave birth to the “Word made flesh” (cf. Jn. 1:14) and adored Him. Mary was faithful to God, even though she did not know what lay ahead, and accepted the challenge to answer His call. Thus, Mary is an example of being faithful in doing God’s will and serving others; Mary teaches the Knights to respond with joy and courage in all moments of difficulty, without counting the cost.
3. Mary was, in many ways, a tabernacle (cf. Salutation of the Blessed Virgin Mary). She held the Body and Blood of Christ within her and contemplated all things in her heart (cf. Lk. 2:19). The Knights strive to follow Mary in this way of love, and so adore our Lord in His Body and Blood, receive the Word into their hearts, and honor and protect Him in the tabernacle.
4. Just as Mary received the beloved disciple at the foot of the cross, she is mother, advocate and protector of the Knights as well. They know the cross will not be far away, but with Mary’s help, in those moments when God sends the cross it will be accepted with love as a means to draw closer to Him.
5. Genuine devotion to the Mother of the Lord is always an impetus to a life guided by the spirit and the values of the Gospel. The Knights are to be familiar with the spiritual writings of St. Louis de Montfort, whose Marian spirituality provides an easy, short, perfect, and secure path to arrive at union with Our Lord. The Knights are to make a Total Consecration of their life to Jesus through Mary, so as to be able to say “Totus Tuus”: “I belong entirely to you, and all that I have is yours. I take you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart” (True Devotion to Mary by Saint Louis de Montfort). “Mary’s life was a perfect imitation of Jesus. She was humble, hidden, sorrowful, and afflicted; but she also knew joys that never entered the heart of man. She is all things to all men that she might understand their failings, though she failed not. She is compassionate with their falls, though she fell not. She followed in the Master’s footsteps in order to experience all the sufferings that poor human nature is subject to” (Mother Mary Angelica, P.C.P.A., “The Promised Woman”).
“Mary’s life was a perfect imitation of Jesus. She was humble, hidden, sorrowful, and afflicted; but she also knew joys that never entered the heart of man. She is all things to all men that she might understand their failings, though she failed not. She is compassionate with their falls, though she fell not. She followed in the Master’s footsteps in order to experience all the sufferings that poor human nature is subject to” (Mother Mary Angelica, P.C.P.A., “The Promised Woman”).
