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!
Introduction of Part II: Knowledge of Self
My dear brothers and sisters welcome back to our series in preparation for Consecration to Our Lady following St. Louis Marie de Montfort’s True Devotion. Our intention is not to replace what the saint had already established but rather learning together the saint’s beautiful teaching and his Marian spirituality and to encourage all of you to do the consecration to Our Lady. Following the saints and popes I would strongly encourage all of you who are watching right now to read this magnificent book True Devotion by St. Louis Marie de Montfort.
The first 12 days that we have just finished gave us a better understanding what is renouncement of the spirit of the world; the different temptations: from the world, the flesh and the devil, the triple concupiscence, of the flesh, the eyes, and pride of life; the spirit of pride and sensuality that separate us from God and Our lady; fervent amendments of our life and many others. In this second stage of preparation, we want to establish the importance of knowing ourselves. This is the theme we must always bear in mind as we move on in this preparation. We should humbly offer our prayers and devotions to ask the light from the Holy Spirit through the intercession of Our Lady that we may see ourselves in this divine light.
I remember in one of the apparitions of Our lady to the three little children of Fatima, when Our lady opened her hands, a light came forth and enveloped them, and then they saw themselves in this heavenly light. How I wish to ask one of them this question: How was your soul that particular moment when you see yourself in that divine light? How was the conversion and how did you maintain that grace? I remember when I was in the Philippines, when we invited the archbishop to have dinner with our community one Saturday evening. We did the preparation during the day. At about 6 in the evening, an hour before the arrival of the Cardinal, when we turned on the two chandeliers at the dining area, the light from the chandeliers made us able to see some dirty corners, and so we did the final clean up before the prince of the Church arrived. To see ourselves, to understand who we are and how should we act befitting as God’s children is our focus in this second stage of preparation. We shall enter also into what is called Christlike perfection and be strongly convinced of our helplessness and our misery. Christ-like perfection is the way Our Lord showed us by submitting himself to hands of Our Lady. This, as St. Louis Marie de Montfort says, gives more glory to the Father than converting the whole world by preaching and performing miracles. This should be our mind-set and in fact this is the purpose of all these preparations giving ourselves totally to Our Lady. Now before diving into the second stage, we have to understand and acknowledged that we do not know everything and we are not capable of knowing everything. There is only one whom we call The All-Knowing and that is God. In His goodness God gives us senses and faculties, talents and abilities but even with all of these we still cannot have the full knowledge of everything, more so in ourselves and in our spiritual life. And so, in this preparation, beginning today is knowledge of self to be followed by knowledge of Mary and knowledge of Jesus. To gain knowledge is the result of learning and does not end after these seven days. Knowledge of self is a grace that makes us respond correctly. It can also change our behavior resulting from learning experience. This is what we want, a change resulting from the knowledge of self. I want you, me included, to put this in our mind to help us attain our goal for the next 7 days: I am a child of God created in his image and likeness. What is it and what are those things that really veil or disfigure this divine image imprinted in my soul. So, we beg Our Lady for the divine light through prayers, reflections, and acts of renouncement of our own will so that we will reach our goal for this week.
After completing this video, go on to the next video for today: Total Consecration: Day 13
