Day 29 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

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 234-242.

2. The Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin
234. If it is not too inconvenient, they should recite every day of their lives the Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin, which is composed of three Our Fathers and twelve Hail Marys in honour of the twelve glorious privileges of Mary. This prayer is very old and is based on Holy Scripture. St. John saw in a vision a woman crowned with twelve stars, clothed with the sun and standing upon the moon. According to biblical commentators, this woman is the Blessed Virgin.
235. There are several ways of saying the Little Crown but it would take too long to explain them here. The Holy Spirit will teach them to those who live this devotion conscientiously. However, here is a simple way to recite it. As an introduction say:" Virgin most holy, accept my praise; give me strength to fight your foes", then say the Creed. Next, say the following sequence of prayers three times: one Our Father, four Hail Marys and one Glory be to the Father. In conclusion say the prayer Sub tuum - "We fly to thy patronage".
3. The Wearing of Little Chains
236. It is very praiseworthy and helpful for those who have become slaves of Jesus in Mary to wear, in token of their slavery of love, a little chain blessed with a special blessing.
It is perfectly true, these external tokens are not essential and may very well be dispensed with by those who have made this consecration. Nevertheless, I cannot help but give the warmest approval to those who wear them. They show they have shaken off the shameful chains of the slavery of the devil, in which

original sin and perhaps actual sin had bound them, and have willingly taken upon themselves the glorious slavery of Jesus Christ. Like St. Paul, they glory in the chains they wear for Christ. For though these chains are made only of iron they are far more glorious and precious than all the gold ornaments worn by monarchs.
237. At one time, nothing was considered more contemptible than the Cross. Now this sacred wood has become the most glorious symbol of the Christian faith. Similarly, nothing was more ignoble in the sight of the ancients, and even today nothing is more degrading among unbelievers than the chains of Jesus Christ. But among Christians nothing is more glorious than these chains, because by them Christians are liberated and kept free from the ignoble shackles of sin and the devil. Thus set free, we are bound to Jesus and Mary not by compulsion and force like galley-slaves, but by charity and love as children are to their parents. "I shall draw them to me by chains of love" said God Most High speaking through the prophet. Consequently, these chains are as strong as death, and in a way stronger than death, for those who wear them faithfully till the end of their life. For though death destroys and corrupts their body, it will not destroy the chains of their slavery, since these, being of metal, will not easily corrupt. It may be that on the day of their resurrection, that momentous day of final judgement, these chains, still clinging to their bones, will contribute to their glorification and be transformed into chains of light and splendour. Happy then, a thousand times happy, are the illustrious slaves of Jesus in Mary who bear their chains even to the grave.
238. Here are the reasons for wearing these chains:
a) They remind a Christian of the promises of his baptism and the perfect renewal of these commitments made in his consecration. They remind him of his strict obligation to adhere faithfully to them. A man's actions are prompted more frequently by his senses than by pure faith and so he can easily forget his duties towards God if he has no external reminder of them. These little chains are a wonderful aid in recalling the bonds of sin and the slavery of the devil from which baptism has freed him. At the same time, they remind him of the dependence on Jesus promised at baptism and ratified when by consecration he renewed these promises. Why is it that so many Christians do not think of their baptismal vows and behave with as much licence as unbelievers who have promised nothing to God? One explanation is that they do not wear external sign to remind them of these vows.
239. b) These chains prove they are not ashamed of being the servants and slaves of Jesus and that they reject the deadly bondage of the world, of sin and of the devil.
c) They are a guarantee and protection against enslavement by sin and the devil. For we must of necessity choose to wear either the chains of sin and damnation or the chains of love and salvation.
240. Dear friend, break the chains of sin and of sinners, of the world and the worldly, of the devil and his satellites. "Cast their yoke of death far from us." To use the words of the Holy Spirit, let us put our feet into his glorious shackles and our neck into his chains. Let us bow down our shoulders in submission to the yoke of Wisdom incarnate, Jesus Christ, and let us not be upset by the burden of his chains. Notice how before saying these words the Holy Spirit prepares us to accept his serious advice, "Hearken, my son," he says, "receive a counsel of understanding and do not spurn this counsel of mine."
241. Allow me here, my dear friend, to join the Holy Spirit in giving you the same counsel, "These chains are the chains of salvation". As our Lord on the cross draws all men to himself, whether they will it or not, he will draw sinners by the fetters of their sins and submit them like galley-slaves and devils to his eternal anger and avenging justice. But he will draw the just, especially in these latter days, by the chains of love.
242. These loving slaves of Christ may wear their chains around the neck, on their arms, round the waist or round the ankles. Fr. Vincent Caraffa, seventh General of the Society of Jesus, who died a holy death in 1643, carried an iron band round his ankles as a symbol of his holy servitude and he used to say that his greatest regret was that he could not drag a chain around in public. Mother Agnes of Jesus, of whom we have already spoken, wore a chain around her waist. Others have worn it round the neck, in atonement for the pearl necklaces they wore in the world. Others have worn chains round their arms to remind them, as they worked with their hands, that they are the slaves of Jesus. 

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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