I want to share a quick INVITATION TO TOTAL CONSECRATION with you.
God has put it so strongly on my heart to gather people together in making a formal Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary.
God has put it so strongly on my heart to gather people together in making a formal Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary.
I'm absolutely convinced this is vitally important -not only for ourselves - but for our children, our marriages, our homes and our families - as well as for the entire world.
1. What is Total Consecration?
It is giving ourselves – entrusting ourselves – completely to God in and through and with Mary.
2. Why should we make our total consecration?
Because, it’s the most important thing we can do
to know and love Jesus more deeply,
to fully become the saints whom God created us to be,
while "being the quickest, easiest, surest and most perfect means" of doing so -
and because it is God’s will for us to do so in order to save the world.
Sister Lucia, one of the visionaries who saw Mary in Fatima in 1917, stated:
“World war or world peace depends on the practice of ... consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary… most of all because that is Our Lord’s will and also our dearest Heavenly Mother’s."
To me, Consecration to Mary is one of the most humbling things we can do.
This is one of the reasons why I believe it is so transformative!
And this is also why I see it as the easiest and surest way of both living out the Divine Will and also helping to bring God's Kingdom about - because when we give ourselves completely to God through Mary, He is able to have His Way with us, so that He is able to live inside of us and through us and work within us - in a way He never was able to before (with the help and love and prayers of our Mother)
- So, that then we and our lives and prayers are able to impact the world around us in ways that we can never conceive or imagine!!
Remember, Mary told us in Fatima that Consecration to her Immaculate Heart was God's desire for us and that it would be our hope and the means through which He would save us and the world!
This is one of the reasons why I believe it is so transformative!
And this is also why I see it as the easiest and surest way of both living out the Divine Will and also helping to bring God's Kingdom about - because when we give ourselves completely to God through Mary, He is able to have His Way with us, so that He is able to live inside of us and through us and work within us - in a way He never was able to before (with the help and love and prayers of our Mother)
- So, that then we and our lives and prayers are able to impact the world around us in ways that we can never conceive or imagine!!
Remember, Mary told us in Fatima that Consecration to her Immaculate Heart was God's desire for us and that it would be our hope and the means through which He would save us and the world!
3. What should I understand before I begin?
Because Consecration brings about such grace,
is such a powerful means to greater union with God and
because it’s so vitally important not only for us but for the whole world,
know that you will be greatly tempted not to begin this consecration or to stop once you’ve started.
Satan will tempt you with a million excuses for you not to do it or for why you can’t continue.
There will be thoughts that come to you against this devotion.
There will be thoughts against making it again as you’ve done it before… and to what use?
There will be thoughts against Mary
or thoughts against ourselves because satan tells us we are unable or unworthy or too sinful,
or thoughts against each other regarding the same…
There will be things, activities, commitments that come up – you may miss days – but I encourage you:
Do not let any of this, or anything stop you!
No other plans are more important.
And once you’ve begun, if you miss a day, don’t give into the temptation to stop.
Begin again… catch up.
God will meet us where we are!
None of us can or will do this perfectly.
This is not about perfection, but growing in faith and trust.
It is not a test, but a journey with and in the School of Our Lady.
It is a time to draw closer to God and to Truth - in and through His Mother -who is our secret weapon against satan, who is absolutely crushed by her humility as Genesis foretells us: “and she will crush your head” Gen. 3:15.
Because Consecration brings about such grace,
is such a powerful means to greater union with God and
because it’s so vitally important not only for us but for the whole world,
know that you will be greatly tempted not to begin this consecration or to stop once you’ve started.
Satan will tempt you with a million excuses for you not to do it or for why you can’t continue.
There will be thoughts that come to you against this devotion.
There will be thoughts against making it again as you’ve done it before… and to what use?
There will be thoughts against Mary
or thoughts against ourselves because satan tells us we are unable or unworthy or too sinful,
or thoughts against each other regarding the same…
There will be things, activities, commitments that come up – you may miss days – but I encourage you:
Do not let any of this, or anything stop you!
No other plans are more important.
And once you’ve begun, if you miss a day, don’t give into the temptation to stop.
Begin again… catch up.
God will meet us where we are!
None of us can or will do this perfectly.
This is not about perfection, but growing in faith and trust.
It is not a test, but a journey with and in the School of Our Lady.
It is a time to draw closer to God and to Truth - in and through His Mother -who is our secret weapon against satan, who is absolutely crushed by her humility as Genesis foretells us: “and she will crush your head” Gen. 3:15.
Let
us be confident, therefore, that if we make this commitment for 33
days, Mary will be with us as our advocate. And because she is never
outdone in generosity - if we give all that we can, (although little and
insignificant and filled with faults) - she will outdo us in giving
back to us far greater graces than we can ever imagine. And, she will
also help make up for what we’re lacking – by making even the little we
can offer into a beautiful gift for God.
Remember, it isn’t without reason that many of the greatest of saints, including St. John Paul II, called making this consecration the turning point of his life. Consecration not only was a turning point, but it became the heart and soul of his life and pontificate, evidenced in making the essence of consecration his papal motto: “Totus Tuus”, which means Totally Yours. He even even taught that Consecration is not an optional devotion, but rather that: “this “perfect devotion” is indispensable to anyone who means to give himself without reserve to Christ and to the work of redemption.”
Remember, it isn’t without reason that many of the greatest of saints, including St. John Paul II, called making this consecration the turning point of his life. Consecration not only was a turning point, but it became the heart and soul of his life and pontificate, evidenced in making the essence of consecration his papal motto: “Totus Tuus”, which means Totally Yours. He even even taught that Consecration is not an optional devotion, but rather that: “this “perfect devotion” is indispensable to anyone who means to give himself without reserve to Christ and to the work of redemption.”
So, what do we do now? Here is some guidance about the 33 days of preparation and some options for entering into them:
My plan is to post insights that will help us enter more deeply into our Consecration during these 33 days of preparation.
(*See important update below to join in consecration after these dates!)
I will post something online each day – sharing different teachings to lead us into Total Consecration.
I hope to pull together pieces from Fr. Gaitley's 33 Days to Morning Glory, as well as wisdom from St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe and John Paul II, but I also feel called to add other teachings on consecration, such as:
Scripture and prayer,
Mary’s own words in her calls and visits to earth – especially in Fatima, where God expressly asked for devotion to Mary and for consecration -
and additional wisdom of the saints.
God willing, I will try to post videos or podcasts along with or in place of these daily teachings.
I hope to pull together pieces from Fr. Gaitley's 33 Days to Morning Glory, as well as wisdom from St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe and John Paul II, but I also feel called to add other teachings on consecration, such as:
Scripture and prayer,
Mary’s own words in her calls and visits to earth – especially in Fatima, where God expressly asked for devotion to Mary and for consecration -
and additional wisdom of the saints.
God willing, I will try to post videos or podcasts along with or in place of these daily teachings.
Here is some guidance about the 33 days of preparation and some options for entering into them:
During this week before we begin our 33 days, I encourage you to go to confession and to pray to Mary and the Holy Spirit to prepare your mind and soul and will to receive the grace to enter more fully into this time of consecration.
If you haven’t already, read through the article on John Paul II, Medjugorje and Fatima
https://
and ponder again this short introductory teaching (above) about consecration.
Also, if you have time, another great option is to watch a 30-minute video: Mary as the New Eve by Dr. Brant Pitre, (who is one of the greatest Catholic teachers of our day) on formed.org:
https://watch.formed.org/
Dr. Pitre’s 7 part Lectio Divina series on Mary will help us understand more deeply Mary and her place in God’s plan. It also fits perfectly within our preparation time. So, I will offer to you a different video from this series as an optional resource each week.
Please pray about making this consecration! As I’ve written above, it’s one of the greatest things you can ever do for yourself and your family. And I know from experience, it has the ability to transform us.
While praying about making the consecration, also know that:
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!”
So, even though I'd love for you to join me on this journey of Total Consecration, if you feel called to do so by another way, please do so.
During this week before we begin our 33 days, I encourage you to go to confession and to pray to Mary and the Holy Spirit to prepare your mind and soul and will to receive the grace to enter more fully into this time of consecration.
If you haven’t already, read through the article on John Paul II, Medjugorje and Fatima
https://
and ponder again this short introductory teaching (above) about consecration.
Also, if you have time, another great option is to watch a 30-minute video: Mary as the New Eve by Dr. Brant Pitre, (who is one of the greatest Catholic teachers of our day) on formed.org:
https://watch.formed.org/
Dr. Pitre’s 7 part Lectio Divina series on Mary will help us understand more deeply Mary and her place in God’s plan. It also fits perfectly within our preparation time. So, I will offer to you a different video from this series as an optional resource each week.
Please pray about making this consecration! As I’ve written above, it’s one of the greatest things you can ever do for yourself and your family. And I know from experience, it has the ability to transform us.
While praying about making the consecration, also know that:
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!”
So, even though I'd love for you to join me on this journey of Total Consecration, if you feel called to do so by another way, please do so.
*UPDATE: I wrote this to begin on November 5, 2019 and end on December 8 the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, but you can join us at any time - even if these days are past! Just access these writings and pray with them whenever you feel called!
It is in the spirit of the Scandalous Love of God, and encouraged by the Truth that God is able to shine most brightly and perfectly through our weakness, and that I believe God has been saying to me since before I began, that it's His Will that this 33 Days of formation be "imperfect" as a sign that the formation is for the "imperfect" ...
So I believe, if you're reading this, it is God's will for you to begin this consecration TODAY without waiting for a particular date above and ending on ANY day of the year - as literally every day of the year is a feast of Mary!
Seriously, check it out for yourself:
And that its okay if we take longer than 33 days to make our Consecration ...
Because it's infinitely more important that we do this - than that we do it perfectly!!!
... It's important to make this accessible and doable for us, because this Consecration of ourselves to Jesus through Mary is the most important thing each of us can be doing right now.
Please see Day 12 to see why: https://enteringintothemystery.blogspot.com/2019/11/day-112-god-alone-with-in-and-through.html
