Mar.4 -journey continues- Wk 1, Day 1 -"seeking true self-knowledge"

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This may be the most difficult week for us, for many reasons. Chief among them is the temptation to pride. As God reminds us of our human frailty, in Psalm 36: “He so flatters himself in his own heart, that he knows not his sin…”

Let us rather, pray to the Lord asking the help of the Holy Spirit and Mary as St. Louis de Montfort writes:

1. During the first week they should offer up all their prayers and acts of devotion to acquire knowledge of themselves and sorrow for their sins.

Let them perform all their actions in a spirit of humility. With this end in view they may, if they wish, meditate on what I have said concerning our corrupted nature, and consider themselves during six days of the week as nothing but snails, slugs, toads, swine, snakes and goats. Or else they may meditate on the following three considerations of St. Bernard: “Remember what you were - corrupted seed; what you are - a body destined for decay; what you will be -food for worms.”

They will ask our Lord and the Holy Spirit to enlighten them saying, “Lord, that I may see,” or “Lord, let me know myself,” or the “Come, Holy Spirit”. Every day they should say the Litany of the Holy Spirit, with the prayer that follows, as indicated in the first part of this work. They will turn to our Blessed Lady and beg her to obtain for them that great grace which is the foundation of all others, the grace of self-knowledge. For this intention they will say each day the Ave Maris Stella and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin.

For Litany of the Holy Spirit see HERE

For Ave Maris Stella see HERE

For Litany of the Blessed Virgin see HERE

Let us pray humbly, with attention and devotion, to our Lord, asking the Holy Spirit and Mary to help us.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear patricius,

Thanks for your "faithful heart’ as we continue our journey toward Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary – whether a person will pray the “Act of Consecration” for the first time or be renewing it for another time. Each time I make this Journey of 33 Days and renew my Total Consecration, I thank God for His Grace to continue.

Please let us pray for one another, for the Church and for all those in most need of God’s Mercy. Come Holy Spirit! Mary, Mother of the Church pray for us and with us. Jesus we trust in You!

 

[hazcompat]

Lumen Gentium
Chapter VIII

1. Predestined from eternity by that decree of divine providence which determined the incarnation of the Word to be the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin was on this earth the virgin Mother of the Redeemer, and above all others and in a singular way the generous associate and humble handmaid of the Lord. She conceived, brought forth and nourished Christ. She presented Him to the Father in the temple, and was united with Him by compassion as He died on the Cross. In this singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity in the work of the Saviour in giving back supernatural life to souls. Wherefore she is our mother in the order of grace.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks, hazcompat,

How beautifully the Holy Spirit continues to work in the Church as He worked in Mary on this earth and He continues to work through her children who love her and through her love God , her Incarnate Son!

God created Mary fullll of Grace and in our Baptism He grants us the Grace of New Life - a share in His Life, and makes us members of the Body of Christ. We are called to holiness and when we hear Jesus’ words, we treasure them:

Behold Your Mother

When we “see Mary” with supernatural faith, hope and charity, we grow more and more like Jesus as she did on this earth. The final words of your post are good ones for this first week of our journey, as we “seek true-self knowledge” and learn to die to that self which refuses to obey God in Whom we are called to believe in, hope in and love with our whole hearts:

…she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity in the work of the Saviour in giving back supernatural life to souls. Wherefore she is our mother in the order of grace.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Stephie and KBS,

Thanks for your “faithful hearts”. I prayed the Litany of the Holy Spirit and the Ave Maris Stella prayers this morning. God willing I’ll pray the Litany of the Blessed Virgin (also called the Litany of Loreto) a bit later this afternooon. I find my best prayer time is early but anytime can be good – the important thing is to keep attention and devotion as high as possible.

Sometimes we’re probably more distracted than at other times, so it’s important to keep seeking God’s Grace to remain focused and pray slowly with our attention on the One to whom we are praying, mindful of the words we are praying and who we are as we pray. During Wk 1 of our preparation it is important to admit our weaknesses and continue asking God for the Graces we need to become holy as He is Holy - “…nothing will be impossible for God…” (Lk 1:37)

 

[patricius79]

This passage from the Glories of Mary is helpful to me:

Noah’s ark was a true figure of Mary; for as in it all kinds of beasts were saved, so under the mantle of Mary all sinners, who by their vices and sensuality are already like beasts, find refuge; but with this difference, as a pious author remarks, that “while the brutes that entered the ark remained brutes, the wolf remaining a wolf, and a tiger a tiger—under the mantle of Mary, on the other hand, the wolf becomes a lamb, and the tiger a dove” (“Quod arca animalia suscepit, animalia servavit”— Paciucch. In Sal. Ang. exc . 4). One day St. Gertrude saw Mary with her mantle open, and under it there were many wild beats of different kinds—leopards, lions, and bears; and she saw that not only our Blessed Lady did not drive them away, but that she welcomed and caressed them with her benign hand. The saint understood that these wild beasts were miserable sinners, who are welcomed by Mary with sweetness and love the moment they had recourse to her ( Insin . l. 4, c. 50).
Chapter III

 

[MariaChristi]

How very beautiful! Thanks patricius, for posting this quote from St. Alphonsus.

How encouraging for us to know by God’s Grace, the Wisdom He gives His saints.
May our Mother be continue to be for us the “Refuge of sinners” as we continue our journey toward Total Consecration to Jesus through her!