A favorite prayer of St. Louis de Montfort
Hail Mary,
Beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father.
Hail Mary,
Admirable Mother of the Son.
Hail Mary,
Faithful Spouse of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary,
My Mother, my loving Mistress, my powerful sovereign.
Hail, my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul.
You are all mine by mercy,
And I am yours by justice.
But I am not yet sufficiently yours.
I now give myself wholly to you
Without keeping anything back
For myself or others.
If you see anything in me
Which does not belong to you,
I beseech you to take it
And make yourself the absolute Mistress
Of all that is mine.
Destroy in me all that may displease God;
Root it up and bring it to nought.
Place and cultivate in me
Everything that is pleasing to you.
May the light of your faith
Dispel the darkness of my mind.
May your profound humility
Take the place of my pride;
May your sublime contemplation
Check the distractions
Of my wandering imagination.
May the continuous sight of God
Fill my memory with his presence;
May the burning love of your heart
Inflame the lukewarmness of mine.
May your virtues
Take the place of my sins;
May your merits be my only adornment
In the sight of God
And make up for all that is wanting in me.
Finally, dearly beloved Mother,
Grant, if it be possible,
That I may have no other spirit but yours
To know Jesus, and His Divine Will;
That I may have no other soul but yours
To praise and glorify God;
That I may have no other heart but yours
To love God with a love as pure and ardent as yours.
I do not ask you for visions, revelations,
Sensible devotions, or spiritual pleasures.
It is your privilege to see God clearly,
It is your privilege to enjoy heavenly bliss,
It is your privilege to triumph gloriously in heaven
At the right hand of your Son,
And to hold absolute sway
Over angels, men, and demons.
It is your privilege to dispose of all the gifts of God,
Just as you will.
Such, O heavenly Mary, the “best part,”
Which the Lord has given you,
And which shall never be taken away from you —
And this thought fills my heart with joy.
As for my part here below,
I wish for no other than that which was yours,
To believe sincerely
Without spiritual pleasures,
To suffer joyfully
Without human consolation,
To die continually to myself
Without respite,
And to work zealously and unselfishly for you
Until death, as the humblest of your servants.
The only grace I beg you, for me,
Is that every moment of the day,
And every moment of my life, I may say,
“Amen, so be it, to all you are doing in heaven.
Amen, so be it, to all you did do upon earth.
Amen, so be it, to all you are doing in my soul,”
So that you alone may fully glorify Jesus in me
For time and eternity.
Amen.