Interiority

"And Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart."

In his most well known work, St. Louis gives five characteristics of true devotion to Jesus through Mary, the first characteristic being its interiority.

True devotion to Our Lady is interior; that is, it comes from the mind and the heart. It flows from the esteem we have for her, the high idea we have formed of her greatness, and the love which we have for her.

This interior attentiveness to Our Lady is rooted in an abiding relationship with her. We rejoice in her tenderness care for us and we acknowledge her exalted position in the eyes of God for, “It is through the most Blessed Virgin Mary that Jesus Christ came into the world, and it is also through her that he will reign in the world." Our affectionate relationship is not based on sensible feelings. By our intellect or mind we are enabled to know what is good - in this case, her profound goodness and worthiness of our love and honor, and by our heart - the loving will - to choose to give our affection and allegiance without regard to sensible pleasure or pain, or how this relationship may benefit us. 

“If I were asked by someone seeking to honor our Lady, ‘What does genuine devotion to her involve?’ I would answer briefly that it consists in a full appreciation of the privileges and dignity of our Lady; in expressing our gratitude for her goodness to us; in zealously promoting devotion to her; in constantly appealing for her help; in being completely dependent on her; and in placing firm reliance and loving confidence in her motherly goodness.”