“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 32 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 and
THE SORROWFUL 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). A great way to do this is to honor the 1st Friday and 1st Saturday devotions, which ask us to confess and receive communion to honor the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts and repair for all the ingratitude and dishonor they receive.
6. Pray the 5th Glorious Mystery: The Coronation of Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth.
God Himself has crowned Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth!
breath of God, but have also been bestowed with so much dignity that He
longs to join us with Himself in glory and share His divinity with us!
Teresa and their faith and devotion to Mary that I hope will draw each
us ever further into this great consecration that we’ll be undertaking
tomorrow.We also consider further the great prophesies of St. Louis de Montfort
regarding the latter times and the role Mary’s role in bringing souls to
Christ.
Jesus in Mary! Glory to Mary in Jesus! Glory to God alone!
4. Mary’s part in the latter times
49. The salvation of the world began through Mary and through her it must be accomplished. Mary
scarcely appeared in the first coming of Jesus Christ so that men, as yet insufficiently instructed and
enlightened concerning the person of her Son, might not wander from the truth by becoming too strongly
attached to her. This would apparently have happened if she had been known, on account of the wondrous
charms with which Almighty God had endowed even her outward appearance. So true is this that St. Denis
the Areopagite tells us in his writings that when he saw her he would have taken her for a goddess, because
of her incomparable beauty, had not his well-grounded faith taught him otherwise. But in the second coming
of Jesus Christ, Mary must be known and openly revealed by the Holy Spirit so that Jesus may be known,
loved and served through her. The reasons which moved the Holy Spirit to hide his spouse during her life
and to reveal but very little of her since the first preaching of the gospel exist no longer.
1) God wishes to make Mary better known in the latter times.
50. God wishes therefore to reveal Mary, his masterpiece, and make her more known in these latter
times:
(1) Because she kept herself hidden in this world and in her great humility considered herself lower
than dust, having obtained from God, his apostles and evangelists the favour of being made known.
(2) Because, as Mary is not only God’s masterpiece of glory in heaven, but also his masterpiece of
grace on earth, he wishes to be glorified and praised because of her by those living upon earth.
(3) Since she is the dawn which precedes and discloses the Sun of Justice Jesus Christ, she must be
known and acknowledged so that Jesus may be known and acknowledged.
(4) As she was the way by which Jesus first came to us, she will again be the way by which he will
come to us the second time though not in the same manner.
(5) Since she is the sure means, the direct and immaculate way to Jesus and the perfect guide to
him, it is through her that souls who are to shine forth in sanctity must find him. He who finds Mary finds
life, that is, Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life. But no one can find Mary who does not look
for her. No one can look for her who does not know her, for no one seeks or desires something unknown.
Mary then must be better known than ever for the deeper understanding and the greater glory of the Blessed
Trinity.
(6) In these latter times Mary must shine forth more than ever in mercy, power and grace; in mercy,
to bring back and welcome lovingly the poor sinners and wanderers who are to be converted and return to
the Catholic Church; in power, to combat the enemies of God who will rise up menacingly to seduce and
crush by promises and threats all those who oppose them; finally, she must shine forth in grace to inspire
and support the valiant soldiers and loyal servants of Jesus Christ who are fighting for his cause.
(7) Lastly, Mary must become as terrible as an army in battle array to the devil and his followers,
especially in these latter times. For Satan, knowing that he has little time – even less now than ever – to
destroy souls, intensifies his efforts and his onslaughts every day. He will not hesitate to stir up savage
persecutions and set treacherous snares for Mary’s faithful servants and children whom he finds more
difficult to overcome than others.”
If you’re interested, here is another teaching by Dr. Brant Pitre on how he sees Mary as the New Rachel:
https://watch.formed.org/lectio-mary-with-dr-brant-pitre/season:1/videos/the-new-rachel
Let us begin by praying the
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:
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: Day 32 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
THIRD WEEK
THEME FOR THE WEEK: KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST
this period we shall apply ourselves to the study of Jesus Christ. What
is to be studied in Christ? First the God-Man, His grace and glory;
then His rights to sovereign dominion over us; since, after having
renounced Satan and the world, we have taken Jesus Christ for our Lord.
What next shall be the object of our study? His exterior actions and
also His interior life; namely, the virtues and acts of His Sacred
Heart; His association with Mary in the mysteries of the Annunciation
and Incarnation, during His infancy and hidden life, at the feast of
Cana and on Calvary.
Meditation Imitation of Christ, by Thomas á Kempis: Book 2, Chapter 7
Of the Love of Jesus above All Things
Thou oughtest to leave thy beloved, for thy beloved (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37; Cant. 2:16); for that Jesus will be
loved alone above all things.
The love of things created is deceitful and inconstant; the love of Jesus is faithful and persevering. He that
cleaveth unto a creature, shall fall with that which is subject to fall; he that embraceth Jesus shall be made strong
for ever.
2. Love Him, and keep Him for thy friend, who, when all go away, will not forsake thee, nor suffer thee to perish in
the end. Some time or other thou must be separated from all, whether thou wilt or no. Keep close to Jesus both in
life and in death, and commit thyself unto His faithfulness, who, when all fail, can alone help thee.
Thy Beloved is of that nature, that He will admit of no rival; but will have thy heart alone, and sit on His throne as
King. If thou couldest empty thyself perfectly from all creatures, Jesus would willingly dwell with thee.
From True Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Nos. 257-260
There are some very sanctifying interior practices for those souls who feel called by the Holy Spirit to a high
degree of perfection. They may be expressed in four words, doing everything through Mary, with Mary, in Mary,
and for Mary, in order to do it more perfectly through Jesus, with Jesus, in Jesus, and for Jesus.
Through Mary
258. We must do everything through Mary, that is, we must obey her always and be led in all things by her spirit,
which is the Holy Spirit of God. “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God,” says St. Paul. Those
who are led by the spirit of Mary are children of Mary, and, consequently children of God, as we have already
shown. Among the many servants of Mary only those who are truly and faithfully devoted to her are led by her
spirit. I have said that the spirit of Mary is the spirit of God because she was never led by her own spirit, but
always by the spirit of God, who made himself master of her to such an extent that he became her very spirit.
That is why St. Ambrose says, “May the soul of Mary be in each one of us to glorify the Lord. May the spirit of
Mary be in each one of us to rejoice in God.” Happy is the man who follows the example of the good Jesuit
Brother Rodriguez, who died a holy death, because he will be completely possessed and governed by the spirit of
Mary, a spirit which is gentle yet strong, zealous yet prudent, humble yet courageous, pure yet fruitful.
With Mary
260. We must do everything with Mary, that is to say, in all our actions we must look upon Mary, although a
simple human being, as the perfect model of every virtue and perfection, fashioned by the Holy Spirit for us to
imitate, as far as our limited capacity allows. In every action then we should consider how Mary performed it or
how she would perform it if she were in our place. For this reason, we must examine and meditate on the great
virtues she practised during her life, especially:
1) Her lively faith, by which she believed the angel’s word without
the least hesitation, and believed faithfully and constantly even to the foot of the Cross on Calvary.
2) Her deep
humility, which made her prefer seclusion, maintain silence, submit to every eventuality and put herself in the last
place.
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.
Litany of the Holy Name of JesusV. Lord, have mercy on us. |
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.
Come and live in Thy servants,
In the spirit of Thy holiness,
In the fullness of Thy might,
In the truth of Thy virtues,
In the perfection of Thy ways,
In the communion of Thy mysteries.
Subdue every hostile power
In Thy spirit, for the glory of the Father.
Amen.
Read:
St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary paragraphs 255-260.
255. To thank God for the graces he has given to our Lady, her consecrated ones will frequently say the
Magnificat, following the example of Blessed Marie d’Oignies and several other saints. The Magnificat is
the only prayer we have which was composed by our Lady, or rather, composed by Jesus in her, for it was
he who spoke through her lips. It is the greatest offering of praise that God ever received under the law of
grace. On the one hand, it is the most humble hymn of thanksgiving and, on the other, it is the most sublime
and exalted. Contained in it are mysteries so great and so hidden that even the angels do not understand
them.
Gerson, a pious and learned scholar, spent the greater part of his life writing tracts full of erudition
and love on the most profound subjects. Even so, it was with apprehension that he undertook towards the
end of his life to write a commentary on the Magnificat which was the crowning point of all his works. In a
large volume on the subject he says many wonderful things about this beautiful and divine canticle. Among
other things he tells us that Mary herself frequently recited it, especially at thanksgiving after Holy
Communion. The learned Benzonius, in his commentary on the Magnificat, cites several miracles worked
through the power of this prayer. The devils, he declare, take to flight when they hear these words, “He puts
forth his arm in strength and scatters the proud-hearted”.
7. Contempt of the world
256. Mary’s faithful servants despise this corrupted world. They should hate and shun its allurements,
and follow the exercises of the contempt of the world which we have given in the first part of this treatise.
2. Special interior practices for those who wish to be perfect
257. The exterior practices of this devotion which I have just dealt with should be observed as far as
one’s circumstances and state of life permit. They should not be omitted through negligence or deliberate
disregard. In addition to them, here are some very sanctifying interior practices for those souls who feel
called by the Holy Spirit to a high degree of perfection. They may be expressed in four words, doing
everything through Mary, with Mary, in Mary, and for Mary, in order to do it more perfectly through Jesus,
with Jesus, in Jesus, and for Jesus.
Through Mary
258. We must do everything through Mary, that is, we must obey her always and be led in all things by
her spirit, which is the Holy Spirit of God. “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God,”
says St. Paul. Those who are led by the spirit of Mary are children of Mary, and, consequently children of
God, as we have already shown. Among the many servants of Mary only those who are truly and faithfully
devoted to her are led by her spirit.
I
have said that the spirit of Mary is the spirit of God because she was
never led by her own spirit, but always by the spirit of God, who made
himself master of her to such an extent that he became her very
spirit. That is why St. Ambrose says, “May the soul of Mary be in each
one of us to glorify the Lord. May
good Jesuit Brother Rodriguez, who died a holy death, because he will be completely possessed and
governed by the spirit of Mary, a spirit which is gentle yet strong, zealous yet prudent, humble yet
courageous, pure yet fruitful.
259. The person who wishes to be led by this spirit of Mary:
1) Should renounce his own spirit, his own views and his own will before doing anything, for
example, before making meditation, celebrating or attending Mass, before Communion. For the darkness of
our own spirit and the evil tendencies of our own will and actions, good as they may seem to us, would
hinder the holy spirit of Mary were we to follow them.
2) We should give ourselves up to the spirit of Mary to be moved and directed as she wishes. We
should place and leave ourselves in her virginal hands, like a tool in the hands of a craftsman or a lute in the
hands of a good musician. We should cast ourselves into her like a stone thrown into the sea. This is done
easily and quickly by a mere thought, a slight movement of the will or just a few words as, “I renounce
myself and give myself to you, my dear Mother.” And even if we do not experience any emotional fervour
in this spiritual encounter it is none the less real. It is just as if a person with equal sincerity were to say –
which God forbid! – “I give myself to the devil.” Even though this were said without feeling any emotion, he
would no less really belong to the devil.
3) From time to time during an action and after it, we should renew this same act of offering and of
union. The more we do so, the quicker we shall grow in holiness and the sooner we shall reach union with
Christ, which necessarily follows upon union with Mary, since the spirit of Mary is the spirit of Jesus.
With Mary
260. We must do everything with Mary, that is to say, in all our actions we must look upon Mary,
although a simple human being, as the perfect model of every virtue and perfection, fashioned by the Holy
Spirit for us to imitate, as far as our limited capacity allows. In every action then we should consider how
Mary performed it or how she would perform it if she were in our place. For this reason, we must examine
and meditate on the great virtues she practised during her life, especially:
1) Her lively faith, by which she believed the angel’s word without the least hesitation, and believed
faithfully and constantly even to the foot of the Cross on Calvary.
2) Her deep humility, which made her prefer seclusion, maintain silence, submit to every
eventuality and put herself in the last place.
3) Her truly divine purity, which never had and never will have its equal on this side of heaven.
And so on for her other virtues.
Remember what I told you before, that Mary is the great, unique mould of God, designed to make
living images of God at little expense and in a short time. Anyone who finds this mould and casts himself
into it, is soon transformed into our Lord because it is the true likeness of him.