I was barely a teenager when my older brother came home from seminary and introduced our family to Marian consecration. We already had a deep devotion to the Mother of Christ with our nightly routine of praying a family rosary. So it was almost natural that we would adopt this new devotion to Mary: consecration.
At the time, I didn’t really think too much about it. I participated with my family in the 33 days of prayers leading up to consecration and reconsecrated myself every year with them. I enjoyed doing it because it was a mix-up from our typical nightly rosary. But to me, it was just another devotion that my family was into. I thought it was good and all, but didn’t fully understand the beauty of it.
However, in college I began renewing my consecration on my own. It was then that I began to truly ponder Mary’s role in my life as my spiritual mother. My relationship with Momma Mary was strengthened as I went through challenges and trials in college apart from my earthly mother. I began to rely on Mary like I would my earthly mom, and she comforted me greatly.
Mary’s role in my life cannot be understated, and I truly believe going through her is the shortest path to heaven. If we all truly understood the role that Christ desires His mother to play in our lives and the abundant graces she wishes to give us, everyone would consecrate themselves to her!
What is Marian Consecration?
Marian consecration is an ancient devotion and practice of entrusting one’s entire life to the intercession, protection, and care of the Mother of Christ. St. Louis de Montfort (1673-1716) is known for creating a formal 33-day consecration known as Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary.
The Consecration involves 33 days of preparation leading up to consecration day. The day of consecration should be on a Marian feast (click here to see the list of feast days), so one should start 33 days prior. While there are several different methods to Marian consecration, Louis de Montfort’s Total Consecration, as well as Father Michael Gaitley’s 33 Days to Morning Glory are the most commonly used methods.
Why Consecrate?
The premise of Marian Consecration is that God entrusted His only Son to Mary here on earth. So, to be assured of being close to Jesus, we should go to Him through Mary. If God entrusted His Son to her, why shouldn’t we entrust our own souls to Mary’s maternal protection? She will only lead us closer to her Son.
Additionally, in His last act before He died on the cross, Jesus gave us His mother when He gave her to His disciple John.
“When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household. (John 19: 26-27)
By entrusting our souls to Jesus’ mother, she’s going to find a way to bring us to her Son and heaven. Mary never does anything against the will of God. While turning our lives over to Mary takes trust, we should have great comfort resting in the arms of Momma Mary. (If you’re skeptical of this thought, I suggest reading last week’s blog post on the Secrets of the Saints, found here.)
Many of the greatest saints have consecrated themselves to Our Lady including Mother Teresa and St. John Paul II. Referring to his reading of True Devotion, JP2 once said,
“The reading of this book was a decisive turning-point in my life. I say ‘turning-point,’ but in fact it was a long inner journey . . . This ‘perfect devotion’ is indispensable to anyone who means to give himself without reserve to Christ and to the work of redemption. . .It is from Montfort that I have taken my motto: ‘Totus tuus’ (‘I am all thine’).” -Pope St. John Paul II
Why does JP2 say consecration to Our Lady is indispensable? Because it teaches us to surrender. By consecrating ourselves to Our Lady, we allow her to take our hand and lead us where she wants us to go (to her Son). And rest assured, she’s going to bring us to the quickest path to heaven.
[ctt template=”3″ link=”JnTpM” via=”yes” ]”By consecrating ourselves to Our Lady, we allow her to take our hand and lead us where she wants us to go (to her Son). And rest assured, she’s going to bring us to the quickest path to heaven.” #beautifuldepths [/ctt]
How to Consecrate
So you know what Marian consecration is and why we should do it. Now we just need to follow through!
While there are probably many options available online, the two different forms I have personally done are the ones listed above: Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary and 33 Days to Morning Glory (to buy either book, click here).
I typically alternate which method I do each year I renew my consecration. If you are new to Marian consecration, I suggest beginning with 33 Days to Morning Glory. The book is simple, easy to read, and takes you through Marian consecration through the lens of four different saints: St. Louis de Montfort, Maximillian Kolbe, Mother Teresa, and Pope John Paul II.
If you’ve already consecrated yourself using the 33 Days book, I would say give the Total Consecration method a try this year. It’s a little more rigorous and takes a slightly different approach to the preparation for consecration.
Regardless of which method you choose, I hope you can join me in consecrating ourselves to Our Lady. By learning more about her life and entrusting our hearts to her, may we be inspired to say yes to all Christ asks of us. May Momma Mary take our hands and lead us straight to Her Son!
Mary, Mother of God- Pray for us!
From the depths of my soul,
Josie
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