Feb. 21 - Day 2 of 33 day journey to Consecration

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

By God’s Grace, we continue to follow St. Louis De Montort’s method, of 33 days preparing to consecrate ourselves ( again or for the first time) totally to Jesus through Mary on March 25, Feast of the Annunciation. During the first 12 days, St. Louis urges us to empty ourselves of the spirit of the world. Now, we all realize this is not intended to mean we can do this by ourselves. “Everything is Grace” as St. Therese so wisely wrote.

By grace we began and now we continue by grace to ask God’s help to see ourselves as He sees us. What is there in us that opposes the spirit of Jesus? Jesus was never of this world’s spirit, even though He was born of Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, into the world, sent by the Father who loved the world so much.

God reveals the “spirit of the world” in Scripture – we hear in 1 John 2: 15 - 17:

Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever

God is not telling us to hate the world or persons in the world that He created as good, but He is telling us not to love the spirit of the world that leads us to sin, and away from Him. Jesus did not live a “pretentious life” but was meek and humble of heart doing always the will of His Father. He was tempted but did not sin. We on the other hand have sinned and need to acknowledge we are sinners.

Each of us has a unique history. Some were baptized as infants, some as adults. Some have had many opportunities to learn from Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium of the Church. Some have not. Some of us have been lazy. Some have read St. Louis de Montfort’s treatise on True Devotion many times, since our Baptism, some have read little or not at all from this little treatise, but only God knows how much of the “spirit of the world” is within our hearts today.

By God’s grace let us ask the Holy Spirit especially to enlighten our minds and help us to see what we need to see and do whatever we need to do in our effort to empty ourselves of anything we may be clinging to that belongs to the “spirit of the world” and is opposed to the “Spirit of Jesus”. Let us remember Jesus’ words from His Cross: “Behold your Mother” and let us ask Mary’s intercession. What human person knew Jesus as well as Mary and who loves Him and us, more than she does?

Please let us pray with and for for one another on this second day of our journey. Anyone who has questions or would like to make a comment please do, for everyone has been created by God as a unique and unrepeatable soul with a special gift(s) for all. Thanks,

 

[patricius79]

Thanks, MariaChristi. That is beautiful.

Yes, let’s pray with and for each other.

I know we are all sinners. But as St. Alphonsus Liguori says, Mary is not a Queen of justice. She has nothing to do with punishment. She is a Queen of Mercy, intent only on compassion and reconciling us with Jesus

I want to mention something I read at the Association of Mary, Queen of All Hearts website, which is the lay organization affiliated with St. Louis’s order (the Montfort Missionaries).

(By the way, once we’ve made our consecration, we can become members of the Association of Mary, if we want to live out the consecration.)

The site affirms something stated by Pope Benedict 16th, who says that the image of a child in the womb is the perfect image of what it means to be a human, of how we need one another. And of course, how much we need Jesus.

The Association of Mary website says that if we contemplate the image of Christ in Mary’s womb this is the perfect image of DeMontfort’s spirituality of dependence on Mary.

And indeed, in True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis quotes St. Augustine , who says that ever since Mary consented to the Incarnation, she has carried us spiritually in her womb.

St. Bernardine and St. Alphonsus Liguori (another Doctor of the Church) also teach this beautiful truth about the way Mary holds us within herself.

Mary, as St. Louis says, is the Terrestrial Paradise of which the Garden of Eden was but a figure. So if we have Mary, we have everything we need.

We don’t need to have too much self-reliance. We need only rely on her, our Mother, who brings us to Jesus.

In The Glories of Mary, St. Alphonsus quotes Scripture “Whoever is a little one, let him come to me”. Jesus said we are to become little children

. St. Alphonsus notes that little children always have on their lips their mothers name, and in every fear, they call on their mothers and run to them.

He says that’s exactly what Mary wants!

As the Association website also says, the point of the 33 days is not so much what we do, but how much we depend on Mary to unite us to Jesus Christ…

As someone who tends toward anxiety, I can’t say how much this helps me!

 

[PluniaZ]

Thank you for posting these. I am getting a lot out of them.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks, MariaChristi. That is beautiful.

Yes, let’s pray with and for each other.

I know we are all sinners. But as St. Alphonsus Liguori says, Mary is not a Queen of justice. She has nothing to do with punishment. She is a Queen of Mercy, intent only on compassion and reconciling us with Jesus

I want to mention something I read at the Association of Mary, Queen of All Hearts website, which is the lay organization affiliated with St. Louis’s order (the Montfort Missionaries).

(By the way, once we’ve made our consecration, we can become members of the Association of Mary, if we want to live out the consecration.)

The site affirms something stated by Pope Benedict 16th, who says that the image of a child in the womb is the perfect image of what it means to be a human, of how we need one another. And of course, how much we need Jesus.

The Association of Mary website says that if we contemplate the image of Christ in Mary’s womb this is the perfect image of DeMontfort’s spirituality of dependence on Mary.

And indeed, in True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis quotes St. Augustine , who says that ever since Mary consented to the Incarnation, she has carried us spiritually in her womb.

St. Bernardine and St. Alphonsus Liguori (another Doctor of the Church) also teach this beautiful truth about the way Mary holds us within herself.

Mary, as St. Louis says, is the Terrestrial Paradise of which the Garden of Eden was but a figure. So if we have Mary, we have everything we need.

We don’t need to have too much self-reliance. We need only rely on her, our Mother, who brings us to Jesus.

In The Glories of Mary, St. Alphonsus quotes Scripture “Whoever is a little one, let him come to me”. Jesus said we are to become little children

. St. Alphonsus notes that little children always have on their lips their mothers name, and in every fear, they call on their mothers and run to them.

He says that’s exactly what Mary wants!

As the Association website also says, the point of the 33 days is not so much what we do, but how much we depend on Mary to unite us to Jesus Christ…

As someone who tends toward anxiety, I can’t say how much this helps me!

Dear Brother Pat,

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers as we journey together. There is much to be learned about being child-like and not childish, in the spiritual life. Our dependence upon Mary is an imitation of Jesus who depended on her as He grew. So too as we mature in Christ, we likewise become as Mary was on this earth and is now in heaven – perfectly united with God in Love. These 12 days are intended to daw us closer to the Spirit of Jesus and away from the spirit of the world, just as every day with Jesus drew Mary closer to Him.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thank you for posting these. I am getting a lot out of them.

Dear Plunia,

It is a blessing for me to share whatever God has given me through Mary. Have you read the Introduction to St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion”, yet? click HERE for the online version.

In re-reading the Introduction today, I was blessed again by these words of St. Louis de Montfort:

1. My heart has dictated with special joy all that I have written to show that Mary has been unknown up till now, and that that is one of the reasons why Jesus Christ is not known as he should be.

If then, as is certain, the knowledge and the kingdom of Jesus Christ must come into the world, it can only be as a necessary consequence of the knowledge and reign of Mary. She who first gave him to the world will establish his kingdom in the world.

St. Louis wrote this book after he himself went through a period of soul-searching and seeking “to empty himself of the spirit of the world”. The saints grew in holiness as we are called to do. They pondered the Scriptures and learned from God what we too are asking, and seeking and knocking on the door of God’s Heart to learn also: how to live in union with God in the perfection of Charity.

We need to make room for God by emptying ourselves of all that may oppose Him. St. Augustine wrote that there are two cities being built on earth: The City of God by those who love Him to the contempt of self and the city of man, being built by those who love self to the contempt of God. The more we behold our Mother, the more we see how a human person, by God’s Grace, can become empty of selfish motives and live for God. Our journey is one made in love for love. Mary always leads us to her Son and tells us as she told the servants at Cana: “Do whatever He tells you”.

Thanks for your reply. Let us continue to pray with and for one another and all those who may be on this journey with us. Not everyone may choose to write a reply, but hopefully many will read and pray and grow spiritually, by God’s Grace.