Sermon – Commemoration Day of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort – April 28, 2026

Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort was one of the Church's great missionary saints and a great teacher of true devotion to the Virgin Mary. His entire life was shaped by a single desire: to bring souls to Jesus Christ. And he discovered that the safest, shortest, and most perfect way to do this was through the hands of Mary.

She was born in France in 1673. From her childhood, she harbored a great love for the Virgin Mary. At a young age, she added the name "Marie" to her own name; this was a sign that she had completely dedicated herself to the Mother of God.

He became a priest and dedicated his life to preaching the gospel among the people. He traveled through towns and villages, preaching with great fervor, calling sinners to repentance, and reviving weakened faith. Saint Louis was not a priest who lived a comfortable life. He was persecuted, misunderstood, humiliated, and even rejected by some members of the Church. But he never gave up.

Like a true missionary, he travelled on foot, endured hardships, stayed in humble places, and devoted his life to the poor, the abandoned, and the sinners. His sermons were powerful because they were fueled by prayer and a deep love for Christ.

But what most defined his spirituality was his profound devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He understood a crucial truth: Mary can never replace Jesus; on the contrary, she always leads us to Him.

His most important work, * An Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin*, teaches precisely this: the more we belong to Mary, the more we belong to Jesus. For Mary is God's chosen way. Christ came into the world through her, and he seeks her mediation again to reign in the hearts of men.

According to Saint Louis, true devotion to Mary is not merely an emotional expression of love or a few prayers. It is complete surrender: entrusting our prayers, our labors, our struggles, and our entire lives to Mary, allowing her to use them for the greater glory of God.

He called it "Love Slavery": to belong completely to Jesus through Mary's hands. This is not losing freedom, but finding true freedom. Because whoever belongs to Mary learns to belong completely to Christ.

Herein lies a great lesson for us. Often we try to reach Jesus through our own strength alone, and we quickly grow weary. But Mary is the mother God gave us to guide us with confidence. On the cross, Jesus said, “Here is your mother” (John 19:27). This statement was not only for John, but for the entire Church.

Being devoted to Mary is not optional for someone who wants to deepen their spiritual life. It is not about placing Mary above Christ, but about accepting God's plan. He who loves the Mother, loves the Son even more.

Mary teaches us humility, purity, obedience, inner peace, and loyalty. She raises saints. She will crush the head of the serpent. She protects her children.

Saint Louis de Montfort said that in times of difficulty for the Church, God would raise up great saints of Mary: souls completely surrendered to Mary, filled with the Holy Spirit, firm in faith and courageous in their mission. Perhaps this calling is for us today.

In this world wounded by sin, full of confusion, and distanced from God, we need to return to Mary's school. We must learn to say with her: "Let it be as you have said to me."

Today, as we commemorate Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, let us ask for this grace: to love the Virgin Mary truly and without fear. He who surrenders himself to Mary does not move away from Jesus; on the contrary, he reaches Him more quickly.

Let us repeat with our hearts this phrase, which Saint Louis lived with all his soul: “Totus Tuus” — I am entirely yours, Mary; everything I possess is yours, so that I may belong entirely to Jesus.

Let us seek the intercession of Saint Louis-Marie so that we may learn to love Mary with all our hearts and thus belong completely to Jesus.