What is Total Consecration?
Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary is a 33-day course that builds on True Devotion to Mary according to St. Louis Marie de Montfort. It’s an amazing way to grow deeper in your faith and draw closer to Jesus through Mary. Each of the 33 days includes a short video, some written reflections, and prayer time. Join us!
First 12 days: Reflection, Day 11
Welcome back, and we are now on the 11th day of our preparation for Total Consecration to Our Lady. Today’s reflection from our manual for consecration is taken from the book The Imitation of Christ which speaks of fervent amendment of our life. This can be summed up in one word and that is conversion. The book is very clear It’s not just simply amendment but of fervent amendment. This makes a big difference, and this should be our attitude, a burning desire, an eagerness to amend our lives, to convert daily, and to strive to become holy.
We spoke of conversion last time. We have to repeat this: conversion is not a 12-day process. It is a life long task to get rid of all serious sins and our predominant venial sins, which may lead to committing a mortal sin. An amendment is to look deep into ourselves honestly and to strive to see what are those that many times lead us to commit sin. An amendment is not contented with avoiding sins and faults but of positive attitude of striving and establishing a solid foundation of virtues. If we truly look deep into ourselves, we come to realize that we are weak and by ourselves alone, we are not capable of preserving the graces we received from God. St. Louis Marie de Montfort speaks of this in his book True Devotion. By ourselves alone we are truly not capable of preserving the graces, in fact, if I’m going to ask myself, where are those graces that I received from God since the age of reason up to now? Surely I could not give an answer with conviction but one thing for sure, plenty of those graces got lost. But thanks be to God and for this Total Consecration to Our Lady. I give myself totally to Our Lady, body and soul as her slave of love, and all the goods both interior and exterior.
This is the safest way of preserving the grace we received from God. For many times in our lives we desire to do God’s inspirations but many times also, slothfulness prevails. Today’s passage from the Imitation of Christ gives us this beautiful advice: fervent amendment of our life by practicing the virtues. Fighting vices and sins with the corresponding virtues, uprooting them one by one: pride with humility; Envy with kindness; anger with forgiveness; sloth with zealous industry; greed with charity, gluttony with temperance; and pride with humility. Again a reminder, our sins, and vices slow down our desire to advance in holiness and so fervent amendment in life is necessary. It makes us capable of crossing many obstacles in life.
We cannot allow ourselves to remain in those places where temptations and sins drown us. It is so terrible to imagine a precious soul, living among the swine, while there is so much abundance in the Father’s house. The decision of the prodigal son to make an amendment with great courage and humility pleases the Father. The spirit of the world brings us to that same misery and so we renounce that spirit. It was pride and sensuality that brings the son to such a terrible disaster. But what a grace from Our Lady and how good it is to renounce the spirit of the world and make immediate amendment whenever we fall. How good it is to have the Sacrament of Confession where we can hear the forgiveness of God. Let us ask Our Lady Virgin Most Pure to pray for us. This is one of her title in the Litany. She is Most Pure. The magnificence of her purity shines more brilliant than the sun. The book of Revelation says: “a woman clothed with the sun”. the children at Fatima saw a woman more brilliant than the sun. Oh, if we could only understand how God blesses those of pure of hearts. Our Lord says: Blessed are those of pure hearts for they will see God. We say to Our Mother: Virgin Most Pure pray for us.
Readings and Prayers for Day 11 of 33
Spiritual Exercises: Examine your conscience, pray, practice renouncement, mortification, purity of heart; this purity is an indispensable condition for contemplating God in heaven, to see Him on earth and to know Him by the light of faith.
Imitation: Book 1, chapter 25
Of the Fervent Amendment of our whole life
One day when a certain man who wavered often and anxiously between hope and fear was struck with sadness, he knelt in humble prayer before the altar of a church. While meditating on these things, he said: “Oh if I but knew whether I should persevere to the end!” Instantly he heard within the divine answer: “If you knew this, what would you do? Do now what you would do then and you will be quite secure.” Immediately consoled and comforted, he resigned himself to the divine will and the anxious uncertainty ceased. His curiosity no longer sought to know what the future held for him, and he tried instead to find the perfect, the acceptable will of God in the beginning and end of every good work.
“Trust thou in the Lord and do good,” says the Prophet; “dwell in the land and thou shalt feed on its riches.” There is one thing that keeps many from zealously improving their lives, that is, dread of the difficulty, the toil of battle. Certainly, they who try bravely to overcome the most difficult and unpleasant obstacles far outstrip others in the pursuit of virtue. A man makes the most progress and merits the most grace precisely in those matters wherein he gains the greatest victories over self and most mortifies his will. True, each one has his own difficulties to meet and conquer, but a diligent and sincere man will make greater progress even though he has more passions than one who is more even-tempered but less concerned about virtue.
Veni, Creator Spiritus (Come Holy Spirit, Creator Blest)
Come, O Creator Spirit blest!
And in our souls take up Thy rest;
Come with Thy grace and heavenly aid,
To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.
Great Paraclete! To Thee we cry,
O highest gift of God most high!
O font of life! O fire of love!
And sweet anointing from above.
Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts art known,
The finger of God’s hand we own;
The promise of the Father, Thou!
Who dost the tongue with power endow.
Kindle our senses from above,
And make our hearts overflow with love;
With patience firm and virtue high
The weakness of our flesh supply.
Far from us drive the foe we dread,
And grant us Thy true peace instead;
So shall we not, with Thee for guide,
Turn from the path of life aside.
Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow
The Father and the Son to know,
And Thee, through endless times confessed,
Of both, the eternal Spirit blest.
All glory while the ages run
Be to the Father and the Son
Who rose from death; the same to Thee,
O Holy Ghost, eternally. Amen.
Ave Maris Stella
Hail, bright star of ocean,
God’s own Mother blest,
Ever sinless Virgin,
Gate of heavenly rest.
Taking that sweet Ave
Which from Gabriel came,
Peace confirm within us,
Changing Eva’s name.
Break the captives’ fetters,
Light on blindness pour,
All our ills expelling,
Every bliss implore.
Show thyself a Mother;
May the Word Divine,
Born for us thy Infant,
Hear our prayers through thine.
Virgin all excelling,
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.
Magnificat – English
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 remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children forever.
Magnificat – Latin
Magnificat anima mea Dominum;
Et exultavit spiritus meus in Deo salutari meo,
Quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae; ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes.
Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est, et sanctum nomen ejus, Et misericordia ejus a progenie in progenies timentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam brachio suo;
Dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.
Deposuit potentes de sede, et exaltavit humiles.
Esurientes implevit bonis, et divites dimisit inanes.
Sucepit Israel, puerum suum, recordatus misericordiae suae, Sicut locutus est ad patres nostros, Abraham et semeni ejus in saecula.
Glory Be – English
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Glory Be – Latin
GLORIA PATRI, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
