"I am all yours, and all that I have is yours, O most loving Jesus, through Mary, your most holy Mother"(True Devotion, 233).
DAY 33 of 33:
SECTION 4: ENTERING INTO GREAT HEIGHTS OF HOLINESS DESTINED FOR THOSE CONSECRATED TO MARY
Today we will contemplate the holiness Mary leads us to ...taking Mary herself, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Mother Teresa and St. Louis de Montfort as our guides.
Action:
1. Resolve to pray a complete set of mysteries of the Rosary every day - as an act of love to God and in fulfillment of Mary's requests to us - see day 8 for instructions/ guidance on how to fit this into your day.
2. Skim through the accompanying pictures and the extraordinary wisdom of St. Louis de Montfort and St. Mother Teresa and read through as much (below) as possible.
3. Continue to choose to enter more deeply into the daily prayer program (below) at least in this way:
Ponder and pray The Magnificat today and the accompanying Scripture texts as you meditate and
PRAY THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES,
THE LUMINOUS MYSTERIES,
THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES and
ALL THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY
- while praying for the grace to listen, to hear and respond to God as Mary does. And to pray for the grace to surrender whatever is keeping us from responding fully to God - in and through and with Mary’s love and help.
4. Take steps to make the Mass the center of your life - begin to strive to participate in daily Mass as often as possible.
5. In preparation for our consecration, go to confession beforehand (or within 8 days afterward) - then choose to make the sacrament a regular part of your life (i.e. at least monthly).
6. Here are the last suggestions St. Louis de Montfort offers regarding our day of consecration:
We have come to an end of our preparation!!!
A preparation of the imperfect...
A preparation that has been at times intense, hard and overwhelming, but hopefully always grace-filled and ultimately, through the grace of God and through the intercession of Mary: life-changing.
I know I have shared much with you... purposefully, I have shared more than most of us could have time to read, watch or assimilate ... with the hope of showing the great immensity of grace, goodness, knowledge and wisdom of Total Consecration. For I have felt called to present a treasury of wisdom and grace that would exceed us... that would lead us to go back... to reread and to savor again and again... with the opportunity to always go deeper, to go more fully into God through and with and in the help of Mary.
I pray that during these 33 days each of us has grown in knowledge and trust of God,
SECTION 4: ENTERING INTO GREAT HEIGHTS OF HOLINESS DESTINED FOR THOSE CONSECRATED TO MARY
Today we will contemplate the holiness Mary leads us to ...taking Mary herself, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Mother Teresa and St. Louis de Montfort as our guides.
Action:
1. Resolve to pray a complete set of mysteries of the Rosary every day - as an act of love to God and in fulfillment of Mary's requests to us - see day 8 for instructions/ guidance on how to fit this into your day.
2. Skim through the accompanying pictures and the extraordinary wisdom of St. Louis de Montfort and St. Mother Teresa and read through as much (below) as possible.
3. Continue to choose to enter more deeply into the daily prayer program (below) at least in this way:
Ponder and pray The Magnificat today and the accompanying Scripture texts as you meditate and
PRAY THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES,
THE LUMINOUS MYSTERIES,
THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES and
ALL THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY
- while praying for the grace to listen, to hear and respond to God as Mary does. And to pray for the grace to surrender whatever is keeping us from responding fully to God - in and through and with Mary’s love and help.
4. Take steps to make the Mass the center of your life - begin to strive to participate in daily Mass as often as possible.
5. In preparation for our consecration, go to confession beforehand (or within 8 days afterward) - then choose to make the sacrament a regular part of your life (i.e. at least monthly).
6. Here are the last suggestions St. Louis de Montfort offers regarding our day of consecration:
"On the day of consecration, either fast, give alms, or offer a votive candle for the good of another (or all of the above); do some spiritual penance and approach consecration in the spirit of mortification.
Now go to Confession (or, if that is not possible, go during the 8 days prior) and then receive Communion with the intention of giving yourself to Jesus, as a slave of love, by the hands of Mary.
We have come to an end of our preparation!!!
A preparation of the imperfect...
A preparation that has been at times intense, hard and overwhelming, but hopefully always grace-filled and ultimately, through the grace of God and through the intercession of Mary: life-changing.
I know I have shared much with you... purposefully, I have shared more than most of us could have time to read, watch or assimilate ... with the hope of showing the great immensity of grace, goodness, knowledge and wisdom of Total Consecration. For I have felt called to present a treasury of wisdom and grace that would exceed us... that would lead us to go back... to reread and to savor again and again... with the opportunity to always go deeper, to go more fully into God through and with and in the help of Mary.
I pray that during these 33 days each of us has grown in knowledge and trust of God,
in
prayer,
in commitment and in love of the Holy Trinity and Mary...
I pray
that each of us has grown in the understanding of how vitally important
this is not only for our own souls, but for the souls of all those God loves ....
I
pray it has led us to deeper humility and abandonment of God...
I will end these days sharing the same words I used as I began them (as well as some key concepts I believe God wants to leave you with):
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:
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!
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.”
Let us begin by praying the
The soul rejoices in the Lord
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
I will end these days sharing the same words I used as I began them (as well as some key concepts I believe God wants to leave you with):
I'm (still) absolutely convinced that making this Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary 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.
(In this video I share examples of how Consecration to Mary saved the world from nuclear devastation!)
It is vital because:Giving ourselves – entrusting ourselves – completely to God in and through and with Mary is the most important thing we can do"We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has ever experienced. I do not think that the wide circle of the American Society, or the whole wide circle of the Christian Community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-church, between the gospel and the anti-gospel, between Christ and the antichrist. The confrontation lies within the plans of Divine Providence. It is, therefore, in God's Plan, and it must be a trial which the Church must take up, and face courageously." (St. John Paul II, 1976 Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia)
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."
"...look, above all, at the great prophecies of [Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort] on these times, the era of Mary, the era of the antichrist. For Montfort, the era of Mary and the era of the antichrist are one and the same thing - Mary appears on the battlefield precisely in order to vanquish the antichrist forces which are the forces of evil that operate throughout history and against the apostles, the apostles chosen by Mary whom she forms - Montfort calls these the apostles of the last times." Radio Maria's Father Livio
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!!
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!
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 finish this consecration
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 finish this consecration
or to fully live it...
(Remember the grace we receive from our consecration is in proportion to the extent we enter into it ... it is a journey... there is never a place that isn't right for us to start from .... and all of us can always go deeper into trust ... into abandonment ... into prayer ... that is why John Paul II read and reread Louis de Montfort's wisdom and why he renewed his Consecration daily).
Know Satan will tempt you with a million excuses for you not to do it or why you can’t continue
(or why you can't really live in this way - this way of complete abandonment).
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.
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.
Remember it doesn't matter what day you start on or when you finish ... but, because it is so important - what matters most of all is just that you do it!
Know 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.
Know 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.
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.”
"God has created me to do Him some
definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed
to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be
told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between
persons.
He has not created me for naught. I shall
do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth
in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments.
Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I
am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him,
in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may
serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away
my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make
my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is
about."
St. John Henry Newman
While
creating this amount of teaching each day has been challenging (to say the least) ... I will miss this time together that we've had! Please
keep in touch and let me know how God has touched you through this
devotion and what He is calling you to do - as the irrepeatable image of
God that you are!!! I look forward to hearing from you!
Here is the article that I cite that details how Our Lady saved the world:
P.S. I will share a Day 34 for the Consecration Day (as St. Louis de Montfort does)... sharing options for our consecration prayer and his last advice.
Let us begin by praying the
MAGNIFICAT,
which St. Louis recommends below and is prayed daily in evening prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours
Luke 1:46-55which St. Louis recommends below and is prayed daily in evening prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours
The soul rejoices in the Lord
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Daily Prayer Program for these 33 Days:
It
is important to make a commitment to strive to pray more deeply, more
intensely and with more of your heart during these days of preparation.
Here are some guidelines and suggestions for how to live these days.
Pray about how you can grow in each of these areas listed below and
while living out this prayer program it is especially important to
Trust in the Truth and Supernatural Reality of God’s Presence within each of them
1. Sacraments
• LIVE Grace and Renew our Baptism - renounce sin and Satan
• Mass and the Eucharist the Center of our lives
• Confession frequently
2. Scripture - Pray and Internalize it daily
• To Jelena: “I’m going to reveal a spiritual secret to you:
if you want to be stronger than evil, make yourself a plan of personal
prayer. Take a certain time in the morning, read a text from Holy
Scripture, anchor the Divine word in your heart, and strive to live it
during the day, particularly during the moment of trials. In this way,
you will be stronger than evil.” (Our Lady of Medjugorje, April 19,
1984)
• Rosary – With and in Mary, contemplating Scripture and the mysteries of God
3. Fill mind with wisdom of Mary and the Saints
• God is sending Mary to earth for she is the Crusher of Satan. Listen to her words.
• St. John Paul II – example of life given over – Totus Tuus
• St. Maximilian Kolbe – Militia Immaculata every soul consecrated to Mary will save the world
• St. Louis de Montfort – Mary will form the greatest saints
who ever lived – easiest shortest most sure way to sanctity
• St. Mother Teresa and many more PART 2: Day 33 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
PART 3: A taste of Fr. Gaitley's 33 Days to Morning Glory if you have time:
Ponder the consecration for tomorrow.
CLICK HERE for podcast
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