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!
Total Consecration: Where do we go from Here?
Now that we have consecrated ourselves to Jesus through Mary, we might ask: now what? I would like to offer five simple points that will help give traction to the powerful experience of God’s grace that we have received in the consecration to Mary:
1. One of the most fruitful ways to live our consecration is through the daily Rosary. We encounter the mysteries of Christ with the aid of Mary, whose faith and insight surpasses all the saints and angels combined. If you currently do not pray the Rosary, start by committing to just a decade or two daily, and then pray the full Rosary on each and every Sunday.
2. Mary is a “one-way street” that leads only to Christ, her Son. We encounter Christ most profoundly in this life through the Sacraments. Our consecration should lead us not only to a more frequent reception of the Sacraments but also to deeper participation through the maternal heart of Mary that was so deeply devoted to her Lord. Daily Mass is offered throughout the diocese. Be honest when you ask yourself, can I make time to attend Mass daily? Mary helps us to be more disposed to the grace and action of the Holy Spirit with the daily recitation of the Rosary. As with the Rosary, if you do not currently attend daily Mass, start by committing to one or two days a week. Frequent confession must also be a goal. “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God” (Mt. 5:8). The Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a month would be a great goal.
3. Eucharistic Adoration: In my pastoral letter, “Love Made Visible,” I encourage all of our people in the Diocese of Lincoln to visit Our Lord present in the Blessed Sacrament. There are many adoration chapels around the city and in our different parishes in towns throughout the diocese. By spending quiet time with the Lord before love made visible, we deepen our friendship with Jesus, we come to understand the Mass in a more profound way, and we allow the Lord to speak to our heart. Heart speaks to the heart.
4. As St. Jerome says: “Ignorance of Scripture, is ignorance of Christ.” We must not let it be said of anyone consecrated to Mary, that they are ignorant of Jesus Christ. Mary’s Immaculate Heart contemplated the Word of God as she “…kept all these things, reflecting on them in her own heart” (Luke 2:19). Commit to at least 10 minutes a day of prayerfully reading the sacred scriptures. Start with the four Gospels which reveal the life of our Lord, Himself. Let us recommit ourselves to a prayerful reading of the sacred scriptures.
5. We need to renew our consecration to Mary at least once a year. None of us have completely given ourselves totally to Jesus through Mary. It’s an ongoing journey. With each consecration, we strive to give more of our will, our intellect, our emotions, our relationships, our possessions, our time, everything to the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. We entrust ourselves to the same Lord that Mary entrusted herself to. With her help, may we strive to enter the narrow gate and someday enjoy with her eternity face to face with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
May God bless you in your journey.
