Day 2 Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary and St. Joseph!

Day 2 Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary and St. Joseph!

image in St. Mary Major

It is a wonderful and efficacious act for our bishops to consecrate America and Canada to Mary. Yet, the consecration of our nations will never fully be fulfilled in all its power - unless we, as members of the Body of Christ and Church - join with our shepherds and choose to consecrate and live out this consecration to Mary also in our daily lives.

So, how do we do this? How do we live fully our consecration to Jesus through Mary and Joseph?

When I was blessed to be in Rome for the year of Mercy, I saw an image of Mary on the ceiling of a side chapel in St. Mary Major that deeply moved me. I had never seen anything like it before. Mary was holding her children close to herself and protecting them underneath her mantle.
As I prayed, I realized in an ever deeper way just how tenderly and tangibly Mary loves me, and I wept and wept realizing for the first time how closely Mary was holding onto me and protecting me.

When I was reflecting on what to write for this article, I realized this was a wonderful image of consecration. 

O how deeply Mary loves and cares for us - and with such infinite tenderness! 

To consecrate ourselves to Mary, then, is to allow Mary to embrace and hold us close. To allow ourselves to find our refuge in her arms - trusting in her Motherly love for us and entrusting all that we are and have to her. We entrust our mind, heart, soul, body and spirit - as well as our loved ones, our bodily and spiritual needs, our struggles and hopes and dreams into her Motherly heart - confident she knows what’s best for us and she will guide and direct and take care of us and all whom we hold dear if we surrender all to her as a little child.

"Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18: 3

If we give ourselves to Mary, she will lead us into deeper and deeper prayer. This deeper prayer (which she is calling us to in each of her apparitions) will be the means through which we will come to know and trust God ever more. 

The more we trust, the more we will be able to go wherever He asks us to go, do whatever He calls us to do, say whatever he wants us to say, etc.

The more we trust, through the help of Mary, the more we are willing and able to fulfill God’s desires for us, even if that means to walk on water... 

It doesn't mean, however, that we will not stumble and sink like Peter, when we step out on the water and look down at the waves of our world (sickness, death, unemployment, the wuhan virus, government overreach) instead of into the eyes of Christ.

But, how quickly does Mary’s motherly love and protection come to our aid! How great is her guidance and care with each of us! And how she helps us to begin again and again and again.

That’s what consecration to Mary does for us… she helps us to give ourselves to God, be set apart for Him in order to live out His purposes and His destiny for us ever more fully.
For God is able to do amazing things in us and through us when we give ourselves completely to Him. 
When we live with complete confidence in His protection, love and care He has for us, we are given the grace to live and become ever more fully the person God truly created us to be! 
We become more and more open to God's promptings and the Holy Spirit and develop an ever-greater intimacy with God with the help of Our Mother Mary’s intercession, help and guidance.

This is how she helps us in the easiest, surest, quickest way to become saints!

Our Lady of America Revelations
 

Briefly, I wanted to share a glimpse into the visions and messages of Jesus, Mary and Joseph that were given here in America. These messages were given episcopal approval and are known as the apparitions of Our Lady of America, for when Mary came, that is how Mary introduced herself. 

Because we are consecrating America, I thought it very fitting to share a few thoughts from these apparitions each day of our novena, but for a more exhaustive reading of these events and messages please see here: 

https://enteringintothemystery.blogspot.com/p/our-lady-of-america.html

In particular, as we prepare to consecrate ourselves to Jesus through Mary and Joseph on May 1^st, the feast day of St. Joseph the worker, I will be sharing one or two revelations that St. Joseph gave about himself for us to reflect on, ponder and strive to put into practice in our lives - for it is not without reason that the bishops of the Church chose this day for our consecration.

These first two messages given to us from St. Joseph are about fatherhood, which is so gravely attacked and denigrated in our modern world.

As you pray through these revelations, please pray for all fatherhood to be revived and lived in all its fullness not only in families but also in the Church.

All fatherhood is a living reflection of God, Our Heavenly Father on earth, and thus it has immense power and influence.

We have all seen this in our lives. Fatherhood truly lived brings forth untold good, while fatherhood poorly lived or rejected brings about tremendous and untold destruction.

So as we read through these revelations, let us also pray:

Dear Holy Family, especially St. Joseph, intercede for all fathers and families.

We pray for all hearts to be open to seeking help and inspiration from you.

We ask you to guard and protect all families and the Church.  

We ask you to be with and pour forth grace upon all priests and fathers of families. May they be inspired and be given every grace to fully live their immensely important vocations - each one living in purity and respect for the spouse, with hearts aflame to be fully united to the Will of the Father as they take up their crosses. In this way they will become living icons of Jesus and the Heavenly Father’s self-sacrificing love. 

St. Joseph, pray and intercede that all fathers strive to be protectors, guardians and spiritual leaders as they seek to do all that is necessary to care for and bless their children – not only physically, but also in regards to our souls.

Dear St. Joseph, protector of the Church and families, we entrust our families and our Church, our fathers, our priests, bishops and the Pope to you – guard and guide and take care of them and all of our needs - while leading all of us ever closer to Jesus and Mary. We ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

"On March 11, 1958,
         Our Lady said to me:

“St. Joseph will come on the eve of his feast. Prepare yourself well. There will be a special message. 

My holy spouse has an important part to play in bringing peace to the world.”

St. Joseph came as was promised and these are the words he spoke at this time:

“Kneel down, my daughter, for 

what you will hear and what you will write will bring countless souls to a new way of life.

Through you, small one, 

the Trinity desires to make known to souls Its desire to be adored, honored, and loved within the kingdom, the interior kingdom of their hearts.

“I bring to souls the purity of my life and the obedience that crowned it.

1. ALL FATHERHOOD IS FROM GOD. IT MUST TAKE ONCE AGAIN ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE AMONG MEN.

The Heavenly Father has blessed all fatherhood through me and continues to do so till the end of time.

My fatherhood extends to all God’s children – and together with Mary we watch over you with great love and care.

“Fathers must come to me, small one, to learn obedience to authority: to the Church always, as the mouthpiece of God, to the laws of the country in which they live, insofar as these do not go against God and their neighbor.

“Let fathers also imitate my great purity of life and the deep respect I held for my Immaculate Spouse. Let them be an example to their children and fellow-men, never willfully doing anything that would cause scandal among God’s people.

“Fatherhood is from God, and it must take once again its rightful place among men.”

2. WE LEARN TRUE UNION WITH THE DIVINE WILL THROUGH ST. JOSEPH:

"Fathers must imitate me in my obedience and purity: perfect obedience to the Divine Will and great purity of life and deep respect for your spouse. Be an example to your children and fellowmen.

Joseph appeared with his flaming heart lying on a cross:

The cross, my little one, upon which my heart rests is the cross of the passion, which was ever present before me, causing me intense suffering. 

I desire souls to come to my heart that they may learn true union with the Divine Will."

Novena Prayers

The Novena prayers are simple, but are rooted in the messages Our Lady has reiterated and given to us again and again in all her apparitions. She comes, especially in these times of such sin and darkness, to try to save us.

So, let us listen to her call and strive to live them ever more fully.

They are:

Pray the full Rosary,

Read Scripture together as a family each day,

Make the Eucharist the center of your life (we can still do this interiorly if not physically during this time of quarantine through our Spiritual Communions, and visits to Church to pray in front of the tabernacle if they are open, etc.),

Fast twice a week on Wednesdays and Friday on bread and water and

Go to Confession at least monthly (again, if you are unable make frequent heartfelt acts of contrition)…

And each day of this novena, pray especially during the 3 O’clock hour (if possible):

·      an act of contrition (in place of or in addition to confession)

·      an act of spiritual communion (in place of or in addition to going to Mass and receiving communion;

·      the Divine Mercy Chaplet

·      the Rosary - consecrating and entrusting ourselves and all our loved ones - especially all the fathers in our lives to Jesus through Mary and St. Joseph

© Janet Moore 2020. All Rights Reserved.  

For more information on renewing fatherhood through Consecration to St. Joseph, please see here:  

https://www.consecrationtostjoseph.org/introduction.html

See also: https://www.ourladyofamerica.com/truestory/The_True_Story_Part_1.pdf