"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! ...
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be glory forever. Amen" (Rom 11: 33-36).
John Paul the Great and Medjugorje
By Father Tim Deeter
During the War I went to Medjugorje five times and several time I
stopped in Rome. One time I was able to go to a private Mass with the
Holy Father and I told his secretary, at that time His Eminence
Stanisław Cardinal Dziwisz, who is now the Archbishop Cardinal of
Krakow; I said,
“I would like to show the Holy Father some photographs
of the destruction in Herzegovina, Croatia and what the people are doing.”
So I had photographs of the stacks, the high piles of food
and medicines and supplies being brought by people all over the world
and I thought the Holy Father would be very interested.
So after the Mass, there were about 35 of us, we all made a circle in the library of the Holy Father.
And he came around and greeted each one of us and gave us a little
rosary. And so he came around and the secretary, Msgr. Dziwisz, said,
“when I nod to you, just step forward show the Holy Father the
photographs.”
So the Holy Father is going along and he comes to me and
Msgr. Dziwisz nodded very solemnly. So I stepped forward and I said,
“Holy Father, I want to show you some pictures of what is happening to
the Catholic Church in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina and he was
very interested and I turned page by page through this album of
photographs. It was a small one like the kind you get at the pharmacy
when they develop your photos.
But I forgot to take out a picture of
St. James Church. I didn’t want to show anything of Medjugorje because I
knew it was a little political time bomb. So I flipped to the next
picture and there was St. James Church! And before I could turn the
page quickly, Holy Father went,
“Ah, Medjugorje!” Then he said to me,
“Have you been there?”
I said, “Yes Holy Father, several times.” And
he said, “And what do you think?”
And so I gave the usual, “Well, there
is a lot of good that is being accomplished, a lot of conversions, a
lot of confessions, a lot of vocations…”
And he said, “No. No, no,
no. What do you think about Our Lady appearing there? Do you think Our
Lady is appearing in Medjugorje?”
There were several people there.
The whole room was full of people. It was a public thing. And I didn’t know what to say. I
thought, ‘if I say ‘yes’ maybe he’ll excommunicate me! If I say ‘no Our
Lady’s not appearing’ maybe he’ll excommunicate me!’
So I looked at
Msgr. Dziwisz and he nodded to me and I said, “Yes. I think Our Lady is
appearing there.”
And the Holy Father said, “SO DO I!” Just like
that, “SO DO I!” And then he said, “Are you going there?”
And I said,
“Yes Holy Father, I’m going to Medjugorje after I leave Rome.”
He said,
“Good. Go there and pray to the Madonna of Medjugorje for me, for my
intentions.”
I said, “I will on one condition.” And he looked as if to
say, ‘conditions for the Supreme Pontiff?’ I said, “That you give me
and my parish a special blessing for the sacrifices they are making for
Medjugorje.”
He said, “I do so with all of my heart.” Then he gave me
his blessing.
After the audience, then Msgr. Dziwisz grabbed me and he took me to
the sacristy and he said,
“I want to show you something.” And there on
the dressing table of the Holy Father was a copy of the little
newsletter ‘Echo of Medjugorje’ in Italian. He said, “The Holy Father
reads a paragraph from this every day before he starts his prayers
before Mass.”
So anyone who says the Pope didn’t believe in
Medjugorje…and when they say, “This is all hearsay.” I say, “He said it
to me.” So, it’s just a matter of time.
"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:
"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):
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:
"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)
Giving ourselves – entrusting ourselves – completely to God in and through and with Mary is 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."
"...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!!
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
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.
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.
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.”
"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 1:46-55 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
"I am all yours, and all that I have is yours, O most loving Jesus, through Mary, your most holy Mother"
(True Devotion, 233).
Because I've been asked to try to give a short video teaching each day. Here you go. It shares the videos that weren't possible for me to share during Week 1's class, and addresses faith and atheism, Scripture, the Holy Spirit and Mary. May it and the teaching below be a gift to you on this second day of our preparation.
God bless you!
Day 2: Pondering the Hail Mary and the Mystery of the Incarnation Action: Today devoutly pray one decade of the Rosary: the 1st Joyful Mystery - the Annunciation
Continued Reflections on the Hail Mary and Mary’s Response to God: In the first week’s class I asked us to ponder the Hail Mary, which, when prayed with devotion reminds us of the most incredible event in of all the world’s history – when God became man! I gave those present the Scriptures Luke 1: 26- 38 and Philippians 2: 5- 11 (they can be found below) and asked them to pray with and ponder these readings. I ask us to continue to do ponder these, because I believe that they, perhaps as no other Scriptures, will help us to grow in the knowledge of God, Mary and ourselves - and will help us to renounce whatever is keeping us from uniting ourselves to God in this time when we are asked to do just these things as part of our preparation. This is why I choose to continue to reflect further on those Scriptures – while paying particular attention to how Mary responded to God’s call.
My hope is this provides an example of pondering and reflecting on Scripture that will guide us through these days of preparation and beyond.
Meditation on Mary’s Response to God: When pondering the Hail Mary, the words of the Annunciation are its backdrop, for the very words “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you" were spoken to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel. As we ponder further the Annunciation, I am drawn to Mary’s response to God. Mary listened and paid attention to the Archangel Gabriel’s words… she pondered them… and wondered what they might mean…they caused her fear and they led her to pose the question: “How can this be?” Wondering, “What do you want of me? Do you want something different for me than the vow I had felt called to make with Joseph?” When assured that God wasn’t rejecting her (and St. Joseph’s) vow of virginity… She reflected on this great and awesome Child, this Son of the Most High, Who was the One Who fulfilled God’s promise to King David, Who would be the everlasting King of Kings, the Messiah for Whom she and all of God’s people had been waiting for for centuries would be conceived in her womb through the overshadowing and the Power of the Most High… that God Who would come upon her through His Holy Spirit… The Son of God would be born in her! She heard then, also, the further words of the Archangel Gabriel, giving her news that provided Mary’s humanity with a tangible, physical sign that could be verified… In the realm of the mystery of God, where so much is unseen, this would be something Mary could see and touch: her relative, Elizabeth, who was barren and of old age, would also bear a son and was already six months pregnant “for nothing is impossible for God!”
Mary took all this in – the greatest news in the history of the world – the event that would change the world forever - but only with, and in, and through her - and she responded: “I am your handmaid, O Lord. Let it be done unto me according to Your Word.”
Wow! How wondrous is His plan to become one with us! And how amazing is Mary’s yes! What wonders God has in store for us also, for “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us everything else besides?” Romans 8: 32
How greatly does He want to become enfleshed in us as well! But, do we believe this? Do we believe that He became man because He truly wants to be with us? Do we believe He longs to use us to bring birth to him in this world that is so far from him? Do we believe that nothing is impossible for Him?
Do we respond like Mary? Do we listen and ponder God's voice? Do we even hear Him amid our daily lives? One way to hear him is to take time to pray and ponder His Word in Scripture. We can be assured of hearing His Voice speaking to us in the Scriptures – for it is God’s living Word. It is unlike any other book because God breathes His life into it! His Spirit is speaking to us NOW! Yet, as I mentioned in the first video teaching, so often we gloss over Scripture. Perhaps it’s because we have heard it (so often) before… Our brain shuts down and we say to ourselves… “heard this, been there, done that”… and we stop listening… we stop pondering… we essentially shut God down. We fail to listen…
If we believe in the Truth of Scripture and that it is His Voice, we will begin to hear His Voice more clearly, which helps us to discern His Voice over all the other voices that come into my head. [Satan is an expert at filling the world with his lies – and they consume our thoughts and emotions when we hear and listen to them often enough. That’s why Scripture tells us to guard ourselves against them, saying to us:
“…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
If we keep seeking His Truth, the lies will quiet down before us… We will be able to hear Him speaking of His Love for us. We will be begin to experience more and more of this Divine Love that far surpasses any other created thing…. It is this LOVE Who transforms us, and Who asks us to respond, so we can be more fully united with us: Will you surrender yourself to me so I can love you more and use you to bring forth my glory?
To Jesus' question: Will I say yes? Even to what seems impossible? Do I place myself in God’s hands and say? “I am your servant. I will do whatever you ask, I will go wherever you lead me. I trust You. I trust Your Word. I trust that You can do all things and that nothing is impossible for You." None of us can say we respond perfectly to God as Mary did… none of us pay attention and listen to His voice as Mary did… and that’s why its so important for us to go to her and allow her to share her faith with us, to be open to her pouring forth her own willingness to do all God asks within us… to be open to her love and humility… to be open to her Motherhood forming and leading us into responding yes to God. Into saying “Yes, let it be done unto me according to Your Will.”
When researching the history of Consecration I read that St. Louis de Montfort learned much from Father Henri Boudon, and his book, entitled: Only God, the Holy Slavery of the admirable Mother of God. The title struck me, so much so, that "God Alone" became, in part, the title of this consecration, (as well as the personal motto of St. Louis de Montfort).
If you are here – reading these words -you are being asked by God, like Mary was before us: Will you enter into this consecration being offered? – Will you set yourself apart for Me alone? Will you be open to My Will? Will you be obedient servants to My promptings? Will you surrender yourselves as slaves to Me alone, through Mary?
Although the concept of slavery is hard for us to consider or want to embrace, it is a slavery that even Jesus, Himself, submitted to - this is why we are to ponder Philippians 2: 5-11 – for it speaks of Jesus emptying Himself and taking the form of a slave, although He was God himself! Although all Creation was and is formed in and through Him, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient, becoming a man – obedient to death – even death on a Cross to save us! What wondrous love is this?! What tremendous humility?!
He became a slave to save us from sin and death. For sin enslaves us: “For the wages of sin is death.” So often we belittle our sin. We don't see clearly how it effects us or the price Jesus paid to free us from their punishments. However, if we consider those we know suffering from addictions –for instance, how an alcoholic has become so enslaved by drink that it has stripped away his freedom, his purpose and ultimately his life, if he cannot break free.... We can understand more fully what sin does to us… whether or not the effects are as visible to us externally. Sin destroys us internally and enslaves us. And this enslavement to sin can even be more tragic than the wasted and ruined life of an alcoholic, for if we continue to choose sin rather than God it will lead us to eternal death.
It is for this reason that God became man. That He became a slave in order to free us from our slavery. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5: 8
In imitation, we submit ourselves likewise to a slavery of love – but to God alone. And in God’s great order of mercy and salvation – it is only when we submit ourselves in love and obedience (holy slavery) to Him, we are set free from the slavery of sin and death!
“Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life will lose it, but whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12: 24-25 It takes such humility to do this. It takes such faith. It takes love. And so often, we lack this on our own… This is why, we, enter into this slavery with, in and through Mary, for she was a creature just like us… She was tempted and tried just like us… Yet, she always responded yes. We are helped by her prayers and her graces… for God chose her to be "Full of Grace" and made her the means for us to both receive and be formed with and by that Grace.
Just as Jesus was formed in Mary, we also are called to submit ourselves to her and be formed in her.
So, let’s take the time to ponder: What is God asking to me today? Is he asking me to surrender to Him no matter what He asks? To have faith in Him even when it seems to us impossible? To have faith even when my effort seem to come to nothing? Trusting that His desire is for our holiness and that our holiness often comes only from surrender and humility and seeming failure to the eyes without faith? What is my response when faced with failure like St. Louis de Montfort and the his people faced? When, after building a magnificent Calvary in honor of Jesus’ passion, it was completely destroyed without it being up for even one day after working on it for 15 months??? Is our response like St. Louis’ when the world seeks to tear us and our efforts down? When what we do isn’t recognized or accepted by others, when our plans fail, do we still trust God? knowing that He allows these circumstances to purify us, to lead us more deeply into Him so that we come to seek and trust in Him alone? God’s ways are not our ways. It is easy to trust Him when things go as we plan, but when things do not, still do I trust Him? Still do I seek Him? Mary will help us do just that, by helping us to open ourselves to receive more and more of His LOVE.
What is Your Response Today?
Will I say yes to whatever God asks of me, knowing He will not ask us too great for us... for He knows we are frail - that “our spirits are willing but the flesh is weak.” But, it still He asks us to begin - to make acts of faith, of obedience, of surrender to God’s will – and that when needed to begin again, and again, and again… Knowing although I can nothing on my own, “But I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me!” Philippians 4:13
Action: 1. Read through the accompanying pictures and the extraordinary wisdom of St. Louis below if possible. 2. Continue to choose to enter more deeply into the daily prayer program (below) at least in this way:
Continue to ponder and pray the Hail Mary today and the accompanying Scripture texts as you meditate and
pray one decade of the Rosary - the 1st Joyful Mystery of the Rosary- the Annunciation - while praying for the grace to listen, to hear and respond to God as Mary does. Praying also for the grace to surrender whatever is keeping me from responding fully - in and through and with Mary’s love and help.
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38)
Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)
PART 2: Readings and Prayers for St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary
12 Days
of Preparation renouncing the spirit of the world
Learn
about Mary's place in God's plan (words of St. Louis from True Devotion of Mary)
Pray over Scripture
Pray
with the Heart
Examine
our conscience
PART 3: Listen to discussion and teaching on Fr. Gaitley's 33 Days to Morning Glory if you have time:
“Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary, Prepare me
to give myself fully to living out this true and solid devotion.”
"I am all yours, and all that I have is yours, O most loving Jesus, through Mary, your most holy Mother"
(True Devotion, 233).
OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION:
A few years ago I was
woken up in the middle of the night with this understanding that:
Total Consecration is Vitally Important- not just individually but corporately and universally. And I knew to the depths of my being that world peace depends on it!
as Sister Lucia of Fatima shared:
“World
war or world peace depends on …the consecration to the Immaculate Heart
of Mary… most of all because that is Our Lord’s will and also our
dearest Heavenly Mother’s."
And then,
A WHOLE PROGRAM FOR TOTAL CONSECRATION WAS GIVEN TO ME,
which I present below and throughout the course of 33 days.
Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary is the easiest, surest and most perfect means for holiness.
We enter into this Consecration not only for the salvation our own souls, but for the souls of everyone in
the whole world!
THIS IS OUR GOD-GIVEN MEANS TO SAVE THE WORLD
in this time of great evil and
darkness.
For if souls are not saved - then all else is pointless, as:
“Life holds only one tragedy: not to have been a saint.”
Leon Bloy
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!
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!!
Introduction to this Online Guide:
Each day, I post both a video and written teaching. It is embedded above.
The written teachings are separated into 3 parts:
The first part is what Mary and the Holy Spirit have given me to share. (This is also what each video teaching contains).
The second part and third parts are optional:
Part
Two contains profound insights from True Devotion to Mary and St. Louis
de Montfort. It is incredible quotes and artwork that are worth
pondering.
Part
Three is wisdom from Fr. Gaitley's inspired book: 33 Days to
Morning Glory and from the saints he upholds for us to
ponder each week.
You can watch this video
instead of reading any of this online material. This 1st video shares all of
this teaching, plus much more information as well.
The video teachings can stand alone as they enter into Consecration by delving deeply into each mystery of the Rosary and Scripture.
The entire video teachings for 33 days are at the link below. If you choose to watch these videos below, go to the settings tab and speed up the playback to at least 1.25
Please keep and save these links above for ease to enter into this daily
INTRODUCTORY AND LESSON 1 VIDEO ABOVE:
The first 30 minutes
highlights how Consecration's vital important in saving our souls and the souls of the whole world.
The second 30 minutes is: Day 1:
Teaching: Scripture Study that Enters into the Mystery of the Annunciation and the Incarnation - so to help us grow in love and knowledge of Jesus and Mary and of incredible dignity as chosen and redeemed sons and daughters of God.
Day 1: homework: Pray one Hail Mary with the heart, contemplating the Mystery of the Annunciation and the Incarnation of Jesus.
These 33 days are given to
prepare ourselves – to grow in knowledge and love and commitment. It is a
time of abandonment and growing in Trust of God.
Each
day we’ll be contemplating God, Mary and ourselves in the Father’s plan
of salvation. To do this, it is important that we take time to pray,
ponder and respond to the great mysteries of God, with and in and
through Mary’s help and guidance.
To the extent
we do so, we will grow in faith and holiness. And, as we cast off our
sins and attachments, we will become ever more free and more fully alive
as the person whom God created us to be, in fulfillment of what Jesus said:
“I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly!” (Jn 10:10)
• It’s essence: Abandonment and Trust - with in and
through Mary, leaning on her faith and love when we struggle. Entering
into her school of perfect trust in God so that we can abandon ourselves
- so to fully live in Him and become the people whom God created us to
be.
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:
Readings and Prayers for St. Louis-Marie de Montfort's
Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary
12 Days of Preparation:
TREATISE ON TRUE DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN
INTRODUCTION OF SAINT LOUIS MARIE
