Mr. Michael Brown has written a wonderful article on the heel which will crush Satan's head:
http://www.spiritdaily.com/GenesisHeshe.htm.
It was St. Louis Marie de Montfort who explained in his classic work True Devotion to Mary that:
"..Mary's power over the evil spirits will especially shine forth in the latter times, when Satan will lie in wait for her heel, that is, for her humble servants and her poor children whom she will rouse to fight against him...They will be great and exalted before God in holiness. They will be superior to all creatures by their great zeal and so strongly will they be supported by divine assistance that, in union with Mary, they will crush the head of Satan with their heel, that is, their humility, and bring victory to Jesus Christ." (TD, No. 54).
This passage in Mr. Brown's article is most significant: "The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the earliest translations of the sentence in question was most widely translated as "it": "And I will put enmity between you and the woman [widely perceived to be the Virgin Mary], and between your offspring and hers; it will crush your head"
According to Montfort, the greatest of the Marian Saints, this "it" is the faithful remnant, consecrated to the Virgin, who will crush the Devil's head (the head representing the intellect and therefore Satan's pride). The heel by contrast represents the lowest part of the body. In other words, those of us who are consecrated to the Immaculata and who are despised by the world because of our lack of wordly "sophistication" and "intelligence." But the wisdom of this world is foolishness (1 Corinthians 1: 18-25). In time, Satan's cohort will come to understand this.
For me it is significant that the Apostle John, in his first vision as described in the book of Revelation, saw "..one like a son of man, wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest. The hair of his head was as white as white wool or as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame. His feet were like burnished bronze refined in a furnace." (Revelation 1: 13-15)
The Catholic Church is the Mystical Body of Christ. That the Apostle John saw Our Lord's feet as burnished bronze seems rather significant to me. Why is this? Because, as the Apostle Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12: 21-21-25 that, "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I do not need you,' nor again the head to the feet, 'I do not need you.' Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.."
The faithful remnant consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary represent, in the thinking of Montfort, the heel which will defeat the Adversary. This burnished bronze which is refined in a furnace (1 Corinthians 3: 10-15) will produce a quality of work which is deserving of a wage. But this only because it was accomplished through the Immaculate Heart of Mary and because it rests on the only foundation which is Christ Jesus.
God love you,
Paul.
http://www.spiritdaily.com/GenesisHeshe.htm.
It was St. Louis Marie de Montfort who explained in his classic work True Devotion to Mary that:
"..Mary's power over the evil spirits will especially shine forth in the latter times, when Satan will lie in wait for her heel, that is, for her humble servants and her poor children whom she will rouse to fight against him...They will be great and exalted before God in holiness. They will be superior to all creatures by their great zeal and so strongly will they be supported by divine assistance that, in union with Mary, they will crush the head of Satan with their heel, that is, their humility, and bring victory to Jesus Christ." (TD, No. 54).
This passage in Mr. Brown's article is most significant: "The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the earliest translations of the sentence in question was most widely translated as "it": "And I will put enmity between you and the woman [widely perceived to be the Virgin Mary], and between your offspring and hers; it will crush your head"
According to Montfort, the greatest of the Marian Saints, this "it" is the faithful remnant, consecrated to the Virgin, who will crush the Devil's head (the head representing the intellect and therefore Satan's pride). The heel by contrast represents the lowest part of the body. In other words, those of us who are consecrated to the Immaculata and who are despised by the world because of our lack of wordly "sophistication" and "intelligence." But the wisdom of this world is foolishness (1 Corinthians 1: 18-25). In time, Satan's cohort will come to understand this.
For me it is significant that the Apostle John, in his first vision as described in the book of Revelation, saw "..one like a son of man, wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest. The hair of his head was as white as white wool or as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame. His feet were like burnished bronze refined in a furnace." (Revelation 1: 13-15)
The Catholic Church is the Mystical Body of Christ. That the Apostle John saw Our Lord's feet as burnished bronze seems rather significant to me. Why is this? Because, as the Apostle Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12: 21-21-25 that, "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I do not need you,' nor again the head to the feet, 'I do not need you.' Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this. But God has so constructed the body as to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another.."
The faithful remnant consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary represent, in the thinking of Montfort, the heel which will defeat the Adversary. This burnished bronze which is refined in a furnace (1 Corinthians 3: 10-15) will produce a quality of work which is deserving of a wage. But this only because it was accomplished through the Immaculate Heart of Mary and because it rests on the only foundation which is Christ Jesus.
God love you,
Paul.
4 comments:
I've never heard this passage of Revelation put this way. I have always heard that it was Mary who would crush the head of the serpant as she is so often depicted doing in art. But this that said - as with all of scripture there are many levels of understanding in God's Word. Could also be - the remnant through the intercession and beneath the mantle of the Blessed Virgin Mary will crush the serpant's head. Either way, his head gets crushed and Jesus overcomes all evil...
It will be Our Lady Sanctus Belle. What Montfort is saying is that the "heel" referred to in Sacred Scripture represents those who are consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. But the victory is still hers even though it is accomplished through her servants.
That really is just awesome Paul. What a tremendous insight St. Montfort has given us. Thank you for sharing that.
This is why it is so vital, so critical to our times and to the faith-life of every Catholic, to be consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
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