Day 28 Readings and Prayers for St. Louis de Montfort's 33 Day of Consecration to Jesus through Mary - An Online Guide

Readings and Prayers for St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary

THIRD WEEK
THEME FOR THE WEEK: KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST

During this period we shall apply ourselves to the study of Jesus Christ. What is to be studied in Christ? First the God-Man, His grace and glory; then His rights to sovereign dominion over us; since, after having renounced Satan and the world, we have taken Jesus Christ for our Lord. What next shall be the object of our study? His exterior actions and also His interior life; namely, the virtues and acts of His Sacred Heart; His association with Mary in the mysteries of the Annunciation and Incarnation, during His infancy and hidden life, at the feast of Cana and on Calvary. 

Day 29 of 33:  
Meditation Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 1, Chapter 1

Of the Imitation of Christ, and Contempt of all the Vanities of the World
He that followeth Me, walketh not in darkness (John 8:12), saith the Lord. These are the words of Christ, by which we are admonished, how we ought to imitate His life and manners, if we would truly be enlightened, and delivered from all blindness of heart. Let therefore our chiefest endeavour be, to meditate upon the life of Jesus Christ.
The doctrine of Christ exceedeth all the doctrine of holy men. and he that hath the Spirit will find therein the hidden manna (Apocalypse. 2:17). But it falleth out that many who often hear the Gospel of Christ, feel little desire after it, because they have not the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9). But Whosoever will fully and with relish understand the words of Christ, must endeavor to conform his life wholly to the life of Christ.
2. What doth it avail thee to discourse profoundly of the Trinity, if thou be void of humility, and art thereby displeasing to the Trinity? Surely profound words do not make a man holy and just; but a virtuous life maketh him dear to God. I had rather feel contrition, than know the definition thereof. If thou didst know the whole Bible by heart, and the sayings of all the philosophers, what would all that profit thee without the love of God (1 Cor. 13:2), and without His grace?
Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity (Eccles. 1:2), except to love God, and to serve Him only. This is the highest wisdom, by contempt of the world to press forward towards heavenly kingdoms. 

Listen, Sing and Watch or Pray just the words depending on your time constraints: 
Litany of the Holy Ghost, Litany of the Holy Name, Ave Maris Stella, St. Louis' Prayer to Mary, O Jesus, Living in Mary and the Rosary  

Litany of the Holy Ghost - Latin with English Translation

Litany of the Holy Ghost

Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
 
Father all powerful, have mercy on us 
Jesus, Eternal Son of the Father, Redeemer of the world, save us. 
Spirit of the Father and the Son, boundless life of both, sanctify us. 
Holy Trinity, hear us 
 
Holy Ghost, Who proceedest from the Father and the Son, enter our hearts. 
Holy Ghost, Who art equal to the Father and the Son, enter our hearts. 
 
Promise of God the Father, have mercy on us. 
Ray of heavenly light, have mercy on us 
Author of all good, have mercy on us 
Source of heavenly water, have mercy on us 
Consuming fire, have mercy on us 
Ardent charity, have mercy on us 
Spiritual unction, have mercy on us 
Spirit of love and truth, have mercy on us 
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, have mercy on us 
Spirit of counsel and fortitude, have mercy on us 
Spirit of knowledge and piety, have mercy on us 
Spirit of the fear of the Lord, have mercy on us 
Spirit of grace and prayer, have mercy on us 
Spirit of peace and meekness, have mercy on us 
Spirit of modesty and innocence, have mercy on us 
Holy Ghost, the Comforter, have mercy on us 
Holy Ghost, the Sanctifier, have mercy on us 
Holy Ghost, Who governest the Church, have mercy on us 
Gift of God, the Most High, have mercy on us 
Spirit Who fillest the universe, have mercy on us 
Spirit of the adoption of the children of God, have mercy on us 
 
Holy Ghost, inspire us with horror of sin. 
Holy Ghost, come and renew the face of the earth. 
Holy Ghost, shed Thy light in our souls. 
Holy Ghost, engrave Thy law in our hearts 
Holy Ghost, inflame us with the flame of Thy love. 
Holy Ghost, open to us the treasures of Thy graces 
Holy Ghost, teach us to pray well. 
Holy Ghost, enlighten us with Thy heavenly inspirations. 
Holy Ghost, lead us in the way of salvation 
Holy Ghost, grant us the only necessary knowledge. 
Holy Ghost, inspire in us the practice of good. 
Holy Ghost, grant us the merits of all virtues. 
Holy Ghost, make us persevere in justice. 
Holy Ghost, be Thou our everlasting reward. 
 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Send us Thy Holy Ghost. 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, pour down into our souls the gifts of the Holy Ghost. 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, grant us the Spirit of wisdom and piety. 
 
V. Come, Holy Ghost! Fill the hearts of Thy faithful, 
R. And enkindle in them the fire of Thy love. 
 
Let Us Pray 
Grant, 0 merciful Father, that Thy Divine Spirit may enlighten, inflame and purify us, that He may penetrate us with His heavenly dew and make us fruitful in good works, through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who with Thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, liveth and reigneth forever and ever. R. Amen. 

Ave Maria Stella - Sung in Latin with English Translation

Ave Maris Stella

Hail, bright star of ocean,
God's own Mother blest,
Ever sinless Virgin,
Gate of heavenly rest.

Taking that sweet Ave
Which from Gabriel came,
Peace confirm within us,
Changing Eva's name.

Break the captives' fetters,
Light on blindness pour,
All our ills expelling,
Every bliss implore.

Show thyself a Mother;
May the Word Divine,
Born for us thy Infant,
Hear our prayers through thine.

Virgin all excelling,
Mildest of the mild,
Freed from guilt, preserve us,
Pure and undefiled.
Keep our life all spotless,
Make our way secure,
Till we find in Jesus
Joy forevermore.
Through the highest heaven
To the Almighty Three,
Father, Son and Spirit,
One same glory be.  Amen.

Litany of the Holy Name

Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus V. Lord, have mercy on us. R. Christ, have mercy on us. V. Lord, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear us. R. Jesus, graciously hear us. V. God the Father of Heaven R. Have mercy on us. V. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, R. Have mercy on us. V. God the Holy Spirit, R. Have mercy on us. V. Holy Trinity, one God, R. Have mercy on us. V. Jesus, Son of the living God, R. Have mercy on us. Jesus, splendor of the Father, [etc.] Jesus, brightness of eternal light. Jesus, King of glory. Jesus, sun of justice. Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary. Jesus, most amiable. Jesus, most admirable. Jesus, the mighty God. Jesus, Father of the world to come. Jesus, angel of great counsel. Jesus, most powerful. Jesus, most patient. Jesus, most obedient. Jesus, meek and humble of heart. Jesus, lover of chastity. Jesus, lover of us. Jesus, God of peace. Jesus, author of life. Jesus, example of virtues. Jesus, zealous lover of souls. Jesus, our God. Jesus, our refuge. Jesus, father of the poor. Jesus, treasure of the faithful. Jesus, good Shepherd. Jesus, true light. Jesus, eternal wisdom. Jesus, infinite goodness. Jesus, our way and our life. Jesus, joy of Angels. Jesus, King of the Patriarchs. Jesus, Master of the Apostles. Jesus, teacher of the Evangelists. Jesus, strength of Martyrs. Jesus, light of Confessors. Jesus, purity of Virgins. Jesus, crown of Saints. V. Be merciful, R. spare us, O Jesus. V. Be merciful, R. graciously hear us, O Jesus. V. From all evil, R. deliver us, O Jesus. From all sin, deliver us, O Jesus. From Your wrath, [etc.] From the snares of the devil. From the spirit of fornication. From everlasting death. From the neglect of Your inspirations. By the mystery of Your holy Incarnation. By Your Nativity. By Your Infancy. By Your most divine Life. By Your labors. By Your agony and passion. By Your cross and dereliction. By Your sufferings. By Your death and burial. By Your Resurrection. By Your Ascension. By Your institution of the most Holy Eucharist. By Your joys. By Your glory. V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, R. spare us, O Jesus. V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, R. graciously hear us, O Jesus. V. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, R. have mercy on us, O Jesus. V. Jesus, hear us. R. Jesus, graciously hear us. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, You have said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek, and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened to you." Grant, we beg of You, to us who ask it, the gift of Your most divine love, that we may ever love You with our whole heart, in word and deed, and never cease praising You. Give us, O Lord, as much a lasting fear as a lasting love of Your Holy Name, for You, who live and are King for ever and ever, never fail to govern those whom You have solidly established in Your love. R. Amen.

St. Louis' Prayer to Mary

Hail Mary, beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father! Hail Mary, admirable Mother of the Son! Hail Mary, faithful spouse of the Holy Ghost! Hail Mary, my dear Mother, my loving Mistress, my powerful sovereign! Hail my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul! Thou art all mine by mercy, and I am all thine by justice. But I am not yet sufficiently thine. I now give myself wholly to thee without keeping anything back for myself or others. If thou still seest in me anything which does not belong to thee, I beseech thee to take it and to make thyself the absolute Mistress of all that is mine. Destroy in me all that may be displeasing to God, root it up and bring it to nought; place and cultivate in me everything that is pleasing to thee.

May the light of thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind; may thy profound humility take the place of my pride; may thy sublime contemplation check the distractions of my wandering imagination; may thy continuous sight of God fill my memory with His presence; may the burning love of thy heart inflame the lukewarmness of mine; may thy virtues take the place of my sins; may thy 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 thine to know Jesus and His divine will; that I may have no other soul but thine to praise and glorify the Lord; that I may have no other heart but thine to love God with a love as pure and ardent as thine I do not ask thee for visions, revelations, sensible devotion or spiritual pleasures. It is thy privilege to see God clearly; it is thy privilege to enjoy heavenly bliss; it is thy privilege to triumph gloriously in Heaven at the right hand of thy Son and to hold absolute sway over angels, men and demons; it is thy privilege to dispose of all the gifts of God, just as thou willest.

Such is, O heavenly Mary, the "best part," which the Lord has given thee and which shall never be taken away from thee--and this thought fills my heart with joy. As for my part here below, I wish for no other than that which was thine: 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 thee until death as the humblest of thy servants. The only grace I beg thee to obtain for me is that every day and every moment of my life I may say: Amen, So be it--to all that thou didst do while on earth; Amen, so be it--to all that thou art now doing in Heaven; Amen, so be it--to all that thou art doing in my soul, so that thou alone mayest fully glorify Jesus in me for time and eternity. Amen.

O Jesus Living in Mary 

O Jesus, living in Mary, 
Come and live in Thy servants, 
In the spirit of Thy holiness, 
In the fullness of Thy might, 
In the truth of Thy virtues, 
In the perfection of Thy ways, 
In the communion of Thy mysteries. 
Subdue every hostile power 
In Thy spirit, for the glory of the Father.
Amen.

Read: 
St. Louis de Montfort's True Devotion to Mary paragraphs 226-233.

CHAPTER SEVEN
PARTICULAR PRACTICES OF THIS DEVOTION
1. Exterior Practices
226. Although this devotion is essentially an interior one, this does not prevent it from having exterior practices which should not be neglected. "These must be done but those not omitted." If properly performed, exterior acts help to foster interior ones. Man is always guided by his senses and such practices remind him of what he has done or should do. Let no worldling or critic intervene to assert that true devotion is essentially in the heart and therefore externals should be avoided as inspiring vanity, or that real devotion should be hidden and private. I answer in the words of our Lord, "Let men see your good works that they may glorify your Father who is in heaven." As St. Gregory says, this does not mean that they should perform external actions to please men or seek praise; that certainly would be vanity. It simply means that we do these things before men only to please and glorify God without worrying about either the contempt or the approval of men.
I shall briefly mention some practices which I call exterior, not because they are performed without inner attention but because they have an exterior element as distinct from those which are purely interior.
1. Preparation and Consecration
227. Those who desire to take up this special devotion, (which has not been erected into a confraternity, although this would be desirable), should spend at least twelve days in emptying themselves of the spirit of the world, which is opposed to the spirit of Jesus, as I have recommended in the first part of this preparation for the reign of Jesus Christ. They should then spend three weeks imbuing themselves with the spirit of Jesus through the most Blessed Virgin. Here is a programme they might follow:
228. During the first week they should offer up all their prayers and acts of devotion to acquire knowledge of themselves and sorrow for their sins.
Let them perform all their actions in a spirit of humility. With this end in view they may, if they wish, meditate on what I have said concerning our corrupted nature, and consider themselves during six days of the week as nothing but sails, slugs, toads, swine, snakes and goats. Or else they may meditate on the following three considerations of St. Bernard: "Remember what you were - corrupted seed; what you are - a body destined for decay; what you will be -food for worms."
They will ask our Lord and the Holy Spirit to enlighten them saying, "Lord, that I may see," or "Lord, let me know myself," or the "Come, Holy Spirit". Every day they should say the Litany of the Holy Spirit, with the prayer that follows, as indicated in the first part of this work. They will turn to our Blessed Lady and beg her to obtain for them that great grace which is the foundation of all others, the grace of self- knowledge. For this intention they will say each day the Ave Maris Stella and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

229. Each day of the second week they should endeavour in all their prayers and works to acquire an understanding of the Blessed Virgin and ask the Holy Spirit for this grace. They may read and meditate upon what we have already said about her. They should recite daily the Litany of the Holy Spirit and the Ave Maris Stella as during the first week. In addition they will say at least five decades of the Rosary for greater understanding of Mary.
230. During the third week they should seek to understand Jesus Christ better. They may read and meditate on what we have already said about him. They may say the prayer of St. Augustine which they will find at the beginning of the second part of this book. Again with St. Augustine, they may pray repeatedly, "Lord, that I may know you," or "Lord, that I may see." As during the previous week, they should recite the Litany of the Holy Spirit and the Ave Maris Stella, adding every day the Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus.
231. At the end of these three weeks they should go to confession and Holy Communion with the intention of consecrating themselves to Jesus through Mary as slaves of love. When receiving Holy Communion they could follow the method given later on. They then recite the act of consecration which is given at the end of this book. If they do not have a printed copy of the act, they should write it out or have it copied and then sign it on the very day they make it.
232. It would be very becoming if on that day they offered some tribute to Jesus and his Mother, either as a penance for past unfaithfulness to the promises made in baptism or as a sign of their submission to the sovereignty of Jesus and Mary. Such a tribute would be in accordance with each one's ability and fervour and may take the form of fasting, an act of self- denial, the gift of an alms or the offering of a votive candle. If they gave only a pin as a token of their homage, provided it were given with a good heart, it would satisfy Jesus who considers only the good intention.
233. Every year at least, on the same date, they should renew the consecration following the same exercises for three weeks. They might also renew it every month or even every day by saying this short prayer: "I am all yours and all I have is yours, O dear Jesus, through Mary, your holy Mother." 

A taste of Fr. Gaitley's 33 Days to Morning Glory if you have time:

Spend the day pondering De Montfort’s Marian teaching as it is summarized by these three words: 

Passion, Baptism and gift.

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