God has put it so strongly on my heart to gather people together in making a formal Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary.
1. What is Total Consecration?
It is giving ourselves – entrusting ourselves – completely to God in and through and with Mary.
2. Why should we make our total consecration?
Because, it’s 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.”
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 begin this consecration or to stop once you’ve started.
Satan will tempt you with a million excuses for you not to do it or for why you can’t continue.
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.
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.
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.”
We’ll begin November 5 and end on December 8 the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
I hope to pull together pieces from Fr. Gaitley’s 33 Days to Morning Glory, as well as wisdom from St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe and John Paul II, but I also feel called to add other teachings on consecration, such as:
Scripture and prayer,
Mary’s own words in her calls and visits to earth – especially in Fatima, where God expressly asked for devotion to Mary and for consecration –
and additional wisdom of the saints.
God willing, I will try to post videos or podcasts along with or in place of these daily teachings.
During this week before we begin our 33 days, I encourage you to go to confession and to pray to Mary and the Holy Spirit to prepare your mind and soul and will to receive the grace to enter more fully into this time of consecration.
If you haven’t already, read through the article on John Paul II, Medjugorje and Fatima
https://
and ponder again this short introductory teaching (above) about consecration.
Also, if you have time, another great option
is to watch a 30-minute video: Mary as the New Eve by Dr. Brant Pitre,
(who is one of the greatest Catholic teachers of our day) on formed.org:
https://watch.formed.org/
Dr.
Pitre’s 7 part Lectio Divina series on Mary will help us understand
more deeply Mary and her place in God’s plan. It also fits perfectly
within our preparation time. So, I will offer to you a different video
from this series as an optional resource each week.
Please pray about making this consecration! As I’ve written above, it’s one of the greatest things you can ever do for yourself and your family. And I know from experience, it has the ability to transform us.
While praying about making the consecration, also know that:
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!”
So, even though I’d love for you to join me on this journey of Total Consecration, if you feel called to do so by another way, please do so.
I have also written and published 2 consecration preparations in the past:
One
according to St. Louis de Montfort and one comprised of Maximilian
Kolbe and the Militia Immaculata if you’d like to access them instead.
The easiest way to do so is to go down the list of all my posts on the
side bar and click on August 2019 – for the 9 days of Kolbe preparation — and go to November and December 2018 for the 33-day Louis de Montfort preparation at:
https://
Praying that God’s will only and always be done in this consecration and within our lives and families and entrusting all to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to be working to subscribe to the website, so to access my teachings, please see here to begin:
https://priestlyconsecration.com/2019/11/day-1-god-alone-with-in-and-through.html
My daily consecration articles began at the link above, on November 5th, 2019.
After
clicking on that first link, the easiest way to see and follow these
consecration posts is to look at the side bar on the right of my website
and look down the list of all my posts. If you’re not already on
November 2019, click on November 2019 – looking for the God Alone
Consecration for 33 Days to follow along – they will be listed as Days
1- 34. They can be found on this same page:
https://enteringintothemystery.blogspot.com
To end on a Marian feast day, here are some optional starting dates to begin:
UPDATE 2:
© Janet Moore 2019. All Rights Reserved.