True Devotion

"a lady called to me, so blessed, so lovely
that I implored to serve at her command." (Canto II-Inferno)

Ignoring for a moment my nerdiness at reading the Divine Comedy during my week off...
I was really struck by this line; although Virgil is describing Beatrice, I thought it appropriate for Mary as well. It falls right in line with "True Devotion" where St. Louis says that slavery to Mary is not something we are forced to do, but something we gladly submit ourselves to out of love. I didn't quite understand that. Serving someone out of love, yes. Slavery? Not so much. But this quote made me think of people that I love and how, if they were sick or in need, I would ask how I could serve them. Then go exponentially beyond that both in love and in worthiness of the person I'm serving, and I can see where slavery might be a privilege. Granted, it's still hard for me to picture Mary in my head, the crown jewel of creation. It's beyond me, but if I picture the most blessed, lovely woman, and then push it even further, how could I not implore to serve her, especially when her command is "Do whatever He tells you." Gives me something to think about the next time I do my Total Consecration.