“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 25 of 33:
SECTION 3: Entering
into the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary
Contemplating the Sorrowful Mysteries with Mary and St. Louis de Montfort as our guides.
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. So, therefore,
PRAY the Joyful mysteries of the Rosary today and every day – 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 Nicene Creed today and the accompanying Scripture texts as you
meditate and PRAY THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES AND ALL THE LUMINOUS 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.
Begin to take steps to make the Mass the center of your life.
At Calvary, (while it seemed to be the exact opposite), Satan’s power over us was destroyed!
Satan’s hold on us through sin and death has been vanquished and God has won an eternal and everlasting victory for all who believe and accept God’s love through the Cross.
God could have accomplished everything for us by His strength, but He has asked us to freely participate in bringing to fullness the salvation He has won.
He asks us to be other Christs: to be His Hands and Feet, His Heart, His Voice…
Our fasting and prayer is a participation in redemption, and it is through these means that we are both protected from satan’s snares and help to break the hold satan still has over those he has deceived.
Mary teaches us that fasting stops wars.
The greatest ongoing war is the enemy’s constant attacks against our minds and souls that call us to distrust God rather than having faith in Him, and to choose selfishness rather than the selflessness of love, gluttony over self-denial, lust over purity, greed over charity, wrath over forgiveness, envy and jealousy over kindness and gratitude, sin over holiness, pride over humility, war and division over peace and unity, choosing to be strong in ourselves rather being weak in Christ:
But the Lord said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.…
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Daily Prayer Program for these 33 Days:
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
• LIVE Grace and Renew our Baptism – renounce sin and Satan
• Mass and the Eucharist the Center of our lives
• Confession frequently
• 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
• 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
SECOND WEEK
THEME FOR THE WEEK: KNOWLEDGE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN
Acts of
love, pious affection for the Blessed Virgin, imitation of her virtues,
especially her profound humility, her lively faith, her blind obedience,
her continual mental prayer, her mortification in all things, her
surpassing purity, her ardent charity, her heroic patience, her angelic
sweetness, and her divine wisdom: “there being,” as St. Louis De
Montfort says, “the ten principal virtues of the Blessed Virgin.”
must unite ourselves to Jesus through Mary – this is the characteristic
of our devotion; therefore, Saint Louis De Montfort asks that we employ
ourselves in acquiring a knowledge of the Blessed Virgin.
Mary
is our sovereign and our mediatrix, our Mother and our Mistress. Let us
then endeavor to know the effects of this royalty, of this mediation,
and of this maternity, as well as the grandeurs and prerogatives which
are the foundation or consequences thereof. Our Mother is also a perfect
mold wherein we are to be molded in order to make her intentions and
dispositions ours. This we cannot achieve without studying the interior
life of Mary; namely, her virtues, her sentiments, her actions, her
participation in the mysteries of Christ and her union with Him.
Day 25 of 33:
Meditation From True Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nos. 213-225
Wonderful Effects of this Devotion
will point out, the following effects will be produced in your soul:
1. Knowledge of our unworthiness:
By the light which the Holy Spirit will give you through Mary, his faithful spouse, you will perceive the evil inclinations of your fallen nature and how incapable you are of any good. Finally, the humble Virgin Mary will
share her humility with you so that, although you regard yourself with distaste and desire to be disregarded by
others, you will not look down slightingly upon anyone.
214. Mary will share her faith with you. Her faith on earth was stronger than that of all the patriarchs, prophets, apostles and saints.
3. The gift of pure love
215. The Mother of fair love will rid your heart of all scruples and inordinate servile fear.
4. Great confidence in God and in Mary
216. Our Blessed Lady will fill you with unbounded confidence in God and in herself:
1) Because you will no longer approach Jesus by yourself but always through Mary, your loving Mother.
5. Communication of the spirit of Mary
217. The soul of Mary will be communicated to you to glorify the Lord. Her spirit will take the place of yours to rejoice in God, her Saviour, but only if you are faithful to the practices of this devotion.
6. Transformation into the likeness of Jesus
218. If Mary, the Tree of Life, is well cultivated in our soul by fidelity to this devotion, she will in due time bring forth her fruit which is none other than Jesus.
7. The greater glory of Christ
222. If you live this devotion sincerely, you will give more glory to Jesus in a month than in many years of a more demanding devotion.
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, O 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.
God’s own Mother blest,
Ever sinless Virgin,
Gate of heavenly rest.
Which from Gabriel came,
Peace confirm within us,
Changing Eva’s name.
Light on blindness pour,
All our ills expelling,
Every bliss implore.
May the Word Divine,
Born for us thy Infant,
Hear our prayers through thine.
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.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Mary,
pray for us.
Holy Mother of God,
pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins,
pray for us.
Mother of Christ,
pray for us.
Mother of divine grace,
pray for us.
Mother most pure,
pray for us.
Mother most chaste,
pray for us.
Mother inviolate,
pray for us.
Mother undefiled,
pray for us.
Mother most amiable,
pray for us.
Mother most admirable,
pray for us.
Mother of good counsel,
pray for us.
Mother of our Creator,
pray for us.
Mother of our Savior,
pray for us.
Virgin most prudent,
pray for us.
Virgin most venerable,
pray for us.
Virgin most renowned,
pray for us.
Virgin most powerful,
pray for us.
Virgin most merciful,
pray for us.
Virgin most faithful,
pray for us.
Mirror of justice,
pray for us.
Seat of wisdom,
pray for us.
Cause of our joy,
pray for us.
Spiritual vessel,
pray for us.
Vessel of honor,
pray for us.
Singular vessel of devotion,
pray for us.
Mystical rose,
pray for us.
Tower of David,
pray for us.
Tower of ivory,
pray for us.
House of gold,
pray for us.
Ark of the Covenant,
pray for us.
Gate of Heaven,
pray for us.
Morning star,
pray for us.
Health of the sick,
pray for us.
Refuge of sinners,
pray for us.
Comforter of the afflicted,
pray for us.
Help of Christians,
pray for us.
Queen of angels,
pray for us.
Queen of patriarchs,
pray for us.
Queen of prophets,
pray for us.
Queen of apostles,
pray for us.
Queen of martyrs,
pray for us.
Queen of confessors,
pray for us.
Queen of virgins,
pray for us.
Queen of all saints,
pray for us.
Queen conceived without Original Sin,
pray for us.
Queen assumed into Heaven,
pray for us.
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
pray for us.
Queen of peace,
pray for us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we Thy Servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, be delivered from present sorrow and enjoy eternal happiness. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
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.
Read:
St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary paragraphs 208-212.
208. Our Lady’s charity towards her faithful servants goes further. She provides them with everything
they need for body and soul. We have just seen that she gives them double garments. She also nourishes
them with the most delicious food from the banquet table of God. She gives them the Son she has borne, the
Bread of Life, to be their food. “Dear children,” she says in the words of divine Wisdom, “take your fill of
my fruits,” that is to say, of the Fruit of Life, Jesus, “whom I brought into the world for you.” “Come,” she
repeats in another passage, “eat the bread which is Jesus. Drink the wine of his love which I have mixed” for
you with the milk of my breasts.
As Mary is the treasurer and dispenser of the gifts and graces of the Most High God, she reserves a
choice portion, indeed the choicest portion, to nourish and sustain her children and servants. They grow
strong on the Bread of Life; they are made joyful with the wine that brings forth virgins. They are carried at
her breast. They bear with ease the yoke of Christ scarcely feeling its weight because of the oil of devotion
with which she has softened its wood.
3. She leads and guides them
209. A third service which our Lady renders her faithful servants is to lead and direct them according to
the will of her Son. Rebecca guided her little son Jacob and gave him good advice from time to time, which
helped him obtain the blessing of his father and saved him from the hatred and persecution of his brother
Esau. Mary, Star of the sea, guides all her faithful servants into safe harbour. She shows them the path to
eternal life and helps them avoid dangerous pitfalls. She leads them by the hand along the path of holiness,
steadies them when they are liable to fall and helps them rise when they have fallen. She chides them like a
loving mother when they are remiss and sometimes she even lovingly chastises them. How could a child
that follows such a mother and such an enlightened guide as Mary take the wrong path to heaven? Follow
her and you cannot go wrong, says St. Bernard. There is no danger of a true child of Mary being led astray
by the devil and falling into heresy. Where Mary leads, Satan with his deceptions and heretics with their
subtleties are not encountered. “When she upholds you, you will not fall.”
4. She defends and protects them
210. The fourth good office our Lady performs for her children and faithful servants is to defend and
protect them against their enemies. By her care and ingenuity Rebecca delivered Jacob from all dangers that
beset him and particularly from dying at the hands of his brother, as he apparently would have done, since
Esau hated and envied him just as Cain hated his brother Abel.
Mary, the beloved Mother of chosen souls, shelters them under her protecting wings as a hen does
her chicks. She speaks to them, coming down to their level and accommodating herself to all their
weaknesses. To ensure their safety from the hawk and vulture, she becomes their escort, surrounding them
as an army in battle array. Could anyone surrounded by a well-ordered army of say a hundred thousand men
fear his enemies? No, and still less would a faithful servant of Mary, protected on all sides by her imperial
forces, fear his enemy. This powerful Queen of heaven would sooner despatch millions of angels to help
one of her servants than have it said that a single faithful and trusting servant of hers had fallen victim to the
malice, number and power of his enemies.
5. She intercedes for them
211. Finally, the fifth and greatest service which this loving Mother renders her faithful followers is to
intercede for them with her Son. She appeases him with her prayers, brings her servants into closer union
with him and maintains that union.
Rebecca made Jacob approach the bed of his father. His father touched him, embraced him and
even joyfully kissed him after having satisfied his hunger with the well-prepared dishes which Jacob had
brought him. Then inhaling most joyfully the exquisite perfume of his garments, he cried: “Behold the
fragrance of my son is as the fragrance of a field of plenty which the Lord has blessed.” The fragrance of this rich field which so captivated the heart of the father, is none other than the fragrance of the merits and
virtues of Mary who is the plentiful field of grace in which God the Father has sown the grain of wheat of
the elect, his only Son.
fragrance of Mary! How readily and how intimately does he unite himself to that child! But this we have
already shown at length.
212. Furthermore, once Mary has heaped her favours upon her children and her faithful servants and has
secured for them the blessing of the heavenly Father and union with Jesus Christ, she keeps them in Jesus
and keeps Jesus in them. She guards them, watching over them unceasingly, lest they lose the grace of God
and fall into the snares of their enemies. “She keeps the saints in their fullness” (St. Bonaventure), and
inspires them to persevere to the end, as we have already said.
Such is the explanation given to this ancient allegory which typifies the mystery of predestination
and reprobation.
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