I struggled with it, because there is so much negativity out there directed at venerating Mary. My pre-conversion self screams at me when I start getting close to our Blessed Mother. But, I fought it, and I pushed through, and I made it.
Today I asked JoAnna for a quote on spiritual warfare and she sent me a link.
And there it was... the most perfect quote that melted away any doubt in my mind:
“The Devil fears the Virgin Mary more, not only than men and angels but, in a certain sense, than God himself. It is not that the wrath, the power and the hatred of God are not infinitely greater than those of the Blessed Virgin, since Mary’s perfections are limited: it is because, in the first place, Satan, being proud, suffers infinitely more from being overcome and punished by the little, humble servant of God, her humility humiliating him more than the divine power; and secondly, because God has given Mary such great power over devils that, as they have often been obliged to admit, in spite of themselves, through the mouths of possessed persons, they are more afraid of one of her sighs of grief over some poor soul, than of the prayers of the saints, and more daunted by a single threat from her than by all their other torments”
-Evidence of Satan in the Modern World by Monsignor Leon Cristiani, Roman Catholic Priest
I totally had an "Ah-ha!" moment from this! The Blessed Mother is more feared because she willfully accepted Christ when she could have rejected him. I just have goosebumps. A HUMAN trampled Satan by allowing Jesus to come through her. The dark one had no power over her. Talk about awesome. Only good can come out of knowing Mary. Only good can come out of humbly submitting to God's will as she did. She is our role model. A perfect example of how to truly know Jesus.
I love you Mother Mary, for bringing me closer to your son. Thank you for submitting to God's will. We are yours. We are His.
Love this!!! ;)
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