Devotion to the Saints – most importantly, to the Blessed Virgin Mary – is one of the defining elements of Roman Catholicism. Personally, I wouldn’t know how to call myself Catholic if I didn’t have any kind of devotion to a Saint. Devotions are not required by the Church to attain salvation. Still, Catholic devotions are greatly instrumental for us to obtain the graces necessary in life, especially in our spiritual journey, such as spiritual strength and inspiration. It can also be said that devotion is an expression of love. That is why if we say that we love the Saints, in order to show our love, we must desire to be more spiritual and devoted like them, to grow in virtues like they did while on earth, and to be one with them in loving God.
There are many widely observed Marian devotions, including the Rosary, which is probably the most prominent, the wearing of the Miraculous Medal and the Scapular, the praying of Novenas, especially in celebration of Marian liturgical feasts, the recitation of the Angelus, and many other practices such as The First Saturdays devotion. In fact, all of us Catholics are encouraged to honor the Blessed Mother of God by having a special devotion to her.
“The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.”
– Catechism of the Catholic Church, 971
Saint Louis de Montfort, one of the most notable Marian Saints, had expounded immensely about Marian devotions such as the importance of praying the Rosary and of consecrating one’s self to Jesus through Mary. And although his works – considered today as Mariology classics – were written more than three hundred years ago, they remain fresh and relevant and serve as guides in our practice of the Faith.
In his book True Devotion to Mary, the good Saint teaches us to distinguish between false and genuine devotion. He cautions us, saying, “Today, more than ever, we must take pains in choosing true devotion to our Blessed Lady, because, more than ever before, there are false devotions to our Blessed Lady which are easily mistaken for true ones.” He explains that such falsities come from the devil. Those who are not careful, particularly, those who are sinful or weak in faith are deceived into thinking that they are already in a state of holiness just because they have some superficial devotion to the Blessed Mother.
“It is then very important to recognize, first of all, false devotions to our Blessed Lady, in order to avoid them…”
– Saint Louis de Montfort
Read carefully through each one. You might realize that some people you know, including yourself of course, have these spiritual flaws as devotees.
Seven Kinds of False Devotions and False Devotees to the Blessed Virgin as defined by St. Louis de Montfort:
1. Critical Devotees
“The critical devotees are, for the most part, proud scholars… who have at heart some devotion to the holy Virgin, but who criticize nearly all the practices of devotion [of] some people… because these practices do not fall in with their own humor and fancy.”
In other words, all they do is find fault in other people’s devotions. Because of pride, they voice doubt against the stories of miracles attributed to the Blessed Virgin even when they are from credible sources such as religious orders or authors. They consider kneeling before the image of Our Lady as ‘idolatry’ or criticize the words of admiration from the Church Fathers to the Blessed Mother as ‘exaggeration.’ These false devotees make it look like they know better than the teachings. Truth is, their comments and opinions only cause confusion among other devotees, and so we must be wary of them.
2. Scrupulous Devotees
“The scrupulous devotees are those who fear to dishonor the Son by honoring the Mother…”
Their belief is that devotions must be directed to God alone. One important thing, however, that scrupulous devotees do not understand about their own Catholic Faith is that by honoring the Blessed Mother, we are honoring Jesus Himself more perfectly. It’s why they disagree to venerating her frequently, reciting the Rosary, or participating in other Marian devotions. St. Louis de Montfort reminds us to oppose scrupulous devotees by always blessing Mary and the Child Jesus. To do that, say the words found in the Gospel of the Lord – When Elizabeth [wife of Zachary] heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Luke 1:41-42)
3. External Devotees
“External devotees are persons who make all devotion to our Blessed Lady consist in outward practices.”
These people are into devotions, not because they are serious about deepening and reforming their interior spiritual life, but because devotions give them something to do, and in the process, devotional activities make them feel good about themselves. Examples are saying Rosaries for the sake of reciting them without reflecting on the words; hearing Masses often while thoughts wander elsewhere; joining church activities like processions for the fun of socialization, but without devotion; listening to spiritual talks without putting the learnings into practice; and doing many other forms of external devotions, but without – and St. Louis de Montfort emphasizes this – “without amending their lives, without doing any violence to their passions, or without imitating the virtues of that most holy Virgin.”
I definitely have encountered such persons described above. In fact, “The world is full of these exterior devotees,” the good Saint points out. And of the seven kinds of false devotions, this can be one of the more common pitfalls for many practicing Catholics. You must therefore re-examine your real motivation for doing devotions. You might realize that you are only devoted on the outside but dull on the inside.
4. Presumptuous Devotees
Presumptuous devotees “sleep in peace in the midst of their bad habits, without doing any… to correct their faults, under the pretext that they are devout to the Blessed Virgin.”
These false devotees are disillusioned that they can continue doing their worldly passions and sinful lifestyles, without risk of God’s punishment, because they are “under the fair name of Christians and clients of our Blessed Lady.” St. Louis de Montfort says that it is an abuse of devotion and a “diabolical presumption” to think that saying the Rosary and Marian prayers, wearing the Scapular or some other chain, and doing fasting among others, guarantee salvation despite living in sin. A sincere desire and effort to avoid sin must always accompany our devotions to the Lord and His Most Holy Mother.
5. Inconstant Devotees
The inconstant devotees, as the term suggests, “are those who are devout to the Blessed Lady by fits and starts. Sometimes they are fervent and sometimes lukewarm.”
Perhaps many of us have experienced it at one point in our lives wherein our devotion seems so intense one day and so dull on the next. I guess these are some of the most common reasons for such: a) We feel that the devotion “doesn’t work.” Let’s remind ourselves that these devotions are not incantations nor magical charms or amulets, which are from the occult and of the devil. b) We get disheartened with our present problems. At times, it’s hard to concentrate on praying if we are sad or weighed down with difficulties. But the more we are saddened, the more we must ask for God’s mercy through a devotion, along with formula prayers, which mirror what’s inside our hearts. c) We are too happy in life. When everything’s going great, no family and financial problem, your previous prayer was answered, so then you forget about God again.
In order to avoid falling into this kind of false devotion, St. Louis de Montfort advises against burdening ourselves with too many prayers or practices. That’s unless you can handle them in your day and faithfully observe them. Instead, he says, we must “choose a few and fulfill them with faithfulness and love…”
6. Hypocritical Devotees
St. Louis de Montfort does not elaborate anymore in writing about the hypocritical devotees because they’re exactly what they are called – hypocrites in devotion. They “cloak their sins and sinful habits with [the Blessed Virgin’s ] mantle, in order to be taken by men for what they are not.”
In an expression, their false devotion is ‘just for show.’ They claim to have a Marian devotion in order to pretend and appear to people that they have the high morals, values and religious beliefs, which they actually do not possess.
7. Interested Devotees
Interested devotees are those “who have recourse to Our Lady only to gain some lawsuit, or to avoid some danger, or to be cured of some illness, or for some other similar necessity, without which they would forget her altogether.”
We should not misunderstand what the good Saint is saying here about turning to the Mother of God for help in our lives. There is certainly nothing wrong in relying on her aid. In fact, as Catholics, we may ask the Lord to grant our petitions through Mary’s intercession. What makes it false is when we look at devotion as a mere tool to get our necessities rather than, as already mentioned, a genuine expression of our love for Our Lady.
***
St. Louis de Montfort reminds us Catholics to offer devotions with utmost reverence to God and rightful honor to the Blessed Mother. When done properly and practiced with great care, devotions let us experience heavenly graces that enrich our bodies and our souls.
Saint Louis de Montfort, pray for us!
Saint Joseph, pray for us!
Mama Mary, pray for us!
Amen.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
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