Today is also the first day that Michael Wimsatt and I will be preparing for St. Louis Marie de Montfort's Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary. Here's a brief intro to this devotion:
St. Louis de Montfort tells us that "those who desire to take up this special devotion" (Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary), "should spend at least twelve days in emptying themselves of the spirit of the world, which is opposed to the spirit of Jesus. They should spend three weeks inbuing themselves with the spirit of Jesus through the most Blessed Virgin." (T.D. No. 227)
It is obvious that this total consecration, or perfect remewal of our baptismal vows with and through Mary, is not to be taken lightly. Pope John Paul II said that "Reading this book (St. Louis de Montfort's True Devotion to Mary) was to be a turning point in my life... This Marian devotion... has since remained a part of me. It is an itegral part of my interior life and of my spiritual theology." In his Marian Year encyclical, Mother of the Redeemer, speaking of Marian Spirituality, the Holy Father singles out: "among the many witnesses of his spirituality, the figure of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, who proposes consecration to Christ through the hands of Mary, as an effective means for Christians to live faithfully their baptismal commitments." (No. 48)
Michael and I chose this day to begin the 33 days of preparation because it's the Memorial of the North American Martyrs, which is kinda cool. And also because the Day of Consecration, the 34th day, Monday Nov 21, is the Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is significant because the day of consecration must fall on a Marian memorial or feast day and also because it is the patronal feast day of St. Mary's Seminary. Our Chapel was founded on that day.
So, dear reader(s), please pray for me that I persevere during these 34 days, stay faithful to this devotion, and in so doing come closer to Christ through the guidance of his Blessed Mother.
I may try to post the prayers and readings that are required for each day and any thoughts I have along the way. But at the same time, I don't want this blog to be a distraction from the right-spirit I should have during this time so...we'll see.
St. Louis de Montfort, pray for us!
St. Mary, pray for us!
No comments:
Post a Comment