Mar. 4 -Week 1, Day 1 of our 33 day journey to Consecration

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

What encouragement in today’s Gospel hearing Jesus say: “Follow Me!” The tax collector Levi’s response is: “leaving everything behind, he got up and followed Him”. Levi becomes Matthew the apostle. (cf LK 5:27-32). We’ve finished 12 days seeking to empty ourselves of the spirit of the world which is opposed to Jesus.

Now we can hear Jesus calling us to become even more fervent disciples, having determined in our hearts to keep emptying ourselves of the spirit of the world, we enter this first week, as St. Louis de Montfort describes it in his Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin:

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

Some object to considering themselves as St. Louis suggests. The images of snails, slugs, toads swine and snakes and goats seems far too harsh to them – but in fact, sin is ugly. A child who is stubbornly disobedient is not a pretty site either. Jesus told of the separation of the “sheep from the goats” in Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 25. It seems to me, many of us have forgotten our call to holiness and have become satisfied with far, far less, and excuse ourselves easily. Let us begin seriously to pray the Litany to the Holy Spirit to know the truth about ourselves. Let us pray the Ave Maris Stella and the Litany of the Blessed Virgin for this grace of self-knowledge which is the foundation for all others. I’m giving links below to those prayers:

Litany of the Holy Spirit is HERE
Ave Maris Stella is HERE
Litany of the Blessed Virgin is HERE

This is also the First Saturday of March and of Lent. Let us begin with sincere hearts of reparation for all our past sins and in reparation also for the sins of the world.

 

[patricius79]

I read that St. Bernadette talked about how our Lady of Lourdes talked to her with such respect, as a real person.

It’s amazing how much Jesus and Mary respect and love us, despite all our terrible sinfulness.

May we face our sinfulness only in the light of their limitless Mercy.

 

[MariaChristi]

I read that St. Bernadette talked about how our Lady of Lourdes talked to her with such respect, as a real person.

It’s amazing how much Jesus and Mary respect and love us, despite all our terrible sinfulness.

May we face our sinfulness only in the light of their limitless Mercy.

Thanks so much, dear brother Pat,

Yes, how lovely the image of Mary, which St. Bernadette gives! By God’s Grace may we daily grow more like Jesus through Mary. Nothing is impossible with God!