Mar. 24 - Wk 3 - Day 7 - "Seeking to know Jesus better"

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

It is hard for me to believe we have come to the end of our 33 Day Journey! Tomorrow is the Feast of the Incarnation - The Annunciation , Mar. 25! Today as we pray the prayers recommended by St. Louis de Montfort, let us continue to trust in the power of God to renew us, as we pray our Act of Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary on this special Feast Day, when the Word was made Flesh in the womb of Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit. May we say our “yes” with Mary that Jesus may live in us more fully than ever before. “Nothing is impossible for God”. (Luke 1:47).

Mother of our Faith - Mary believed! Our Total Consecration is a true renewal of our Baptismal Promises, and thus God by His Grace strengthens in us the Supernatural Gifts of Faith, Hope and Charity; our sharing in the Divine Life grows. If you are unable to be at Mass and receive Holy Communion on this Feast ask Jesus to come to you in Spiritual Communion and pray your Act of Total Consecration at a time and in a place that is most conducive for you to have true attention and devotion.

St. Louis De Montfort wrote:

1. At the end of these three weeks they should go to confession and Holy Communion with the intention of consecrating themselves to Jesus through Mary as slaves of love. When receiving Holy Communion they could follow the method given later on. They then recite the act of consecration which is given at the end of this book. If they do not have a printed copy of the act, they should write it out or have it copied and then sign it on the very day they make it.
2. It would be very becoming if on that day they offered some tribute to Jesus and his Mother, either as a penance for past unfaithfulness to the promises made in baptism or as a sign of their submission to the sovereignty of Jesus and Mary. Such a tribute would be in accordance with each one’s ability and fervour and may take the form of fasting, an act of self-denial, the gift of an alms or the offering of a votive candle. If they gave only a pin as a token of their homage, provided it were given with a good heart, it would satisfy Jesus who considers only the good intention.
3. Every year at least, on the same date, they should renew the consecration following the same exercises for three weeks. They might also renew it every month or even every day by saying this short prayer: “I am all yours and all I have is yours, O dear Jesus, through Mary, your holy Mother.”

By God’s Grace, let us seek to know God’s Love coming to us by the power of His Holy Spirit, as Jesus came to Mary through the same Holy Spirit:

The Litany to the Holy Spirit - HERE
Ave Maris Stella - HERE
Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus - HERE

 

[Saint_Prince_Caspian]

Mary’s Heart is the full witness of Christ. Even Saint Luke had to demonstrably, and Saint John the Apostle take account from Mary the Gospel’s which they either wrote, or had written under their names.

Dear Theophilus (Lover of God.)

Hence, Mary is the Great Lover of God. Her Heart was in deep Holy Communion with His. What if Saint Luke wrote that to Mary? Probably not. But, Mary was the Great Lover of God. She loved God so much. Her Heart totally Consecrated to Him. She was the wholly obedient Disciple of Christ. She was the faithful follower. She was the Mother of the Living. She was the New Eve! She broke the darkness of sin and fall as She was Conceived Immaculate!

She by way broke our chains of darkness of sin. By way making the way that which light shines forth. That God’s Only Begotten Son might enter into the world. She paved the way as the Immaculate Conception.

Thank you Mary! For giving Your life to God!

Heroic Mistress of the Heavens.
Triumph of the Immaculate Conception, Oh Immaculate Heart of Mary!
Triumph over my Heart!

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Saint_Prince_Caspian,

Thanks for your reply and your love for you love of our Mother Mary! What a great grace, we’ve been given that Jesus gave Mary to be Mother and Model for His Church. Both St. Luke and St. John do speak more of her than perhaps the other Gospels, but Mary is really foretold in the Old Testament also. Not only in Genesis but in many other “prefigures” – in holy women such as Hannah, Queen Esther, and the Prophetess Deborah (in the Book of Judges) and others.

Yesterday I heard a homily by a priest who spoke of Mary and referred to a connection between the Old and New Testaments, I had not heard or thought of before he mentioned it: as David danced before the Ark pf the Covenant, so baby John the Baptist danced in his Mother Elizabeth’s womb, at the sound of Mary’s greeting.

Mary truly is the “New Ark of the Covenant” – that I 've heard and read before and rightly so for Mary carried within her God’s Incarnate Son who would reveal – the Whole Law and the Prophets - Jesus came not to do away with the old but to fulfill what God had begun in His People.

Mary Immaculate, Mother and Model of the Church, we praise and thank God for His wondrous creation of you. Pray for us now and at the hour of our death!

“O Jesus, living in Mary, come and live in Your servants, in the spirit of Your holiness, in the fullness of Your power, in the perfection of Your ways, in the truth of your virtues, in the communion of your mysteries. Rule over every adverse power, in Your Spirit, for the glory of the Father. Amen.” (Prayer of Fr. Olier)

 

[hazcompat]

Hasten, O Lady, to give your answer!​

The angel awaits your reply, for it is time that he should return to God, Who sent him. We, too, are waiting, O Lady, for a word of mercy we, who are groaning under the sentence of condemnation.

See, the price of our salvation is offered to you; if you consent, we shall at once be delivered. By the Eternal Word of God we were all created, and behold we die. By your short answer we shall be refreshed and recalled to life.

Adam, with all his race Adam, a weeping exile from Paradise, implores it of you. Abraham entreats you, David beseeches you. This is the object of the burning desires of the holy fathers, of your fathers, who are still dwelling in the region of the shades of death. Behold the entire human race prostrate at your feet in expectation.

And rightly, for on your word depend the consolation of the wretched, the redemption of the captive, the freedom of the condemned, the salvation of your entire race, of all the children of Adam. Hasten, then, O Lady, to give your answer; hasten to speak!

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

Homily on the Missus est, IV, 8

Read more on mariedenazareth.com:​

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death.
Amen.

Making Mary Known and Loved​

A Moment with Mary is a brief daily or weekly email intended to make Mary known and loved by the greatest number of people.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks, dear hazcompat, for your reply today – St. Bernard is another “favorite” of mine who writes so glowingly of our Mother Mary! The saying has been attributed to him: “De Maria nunc satis”. (Latin for - “Of Mary there is never enough!”)

Thank you for your love of and devotion to our Mother Mary as well. As I mentioned above, I heard a really good homily at our Legion of Mary “Acies” Mass ( “Acies” Latin for “Army in battle array”), yesterday. The celebrant spoke of our need to speak of Mary, and it is so important in this culture not only to speak of her but to be like her – to carry Jesus to others – and to pray for all those in need of His Mercy.

May the Holy Spirit enable us to grow in the Life of Christ as Mary did – listening to all He said and did, pondering all in her heart – in order to do the Truth she heard, lovingly.