Mar. 4 - Wk 1, Day 1 on our journey

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

What great news that Pope Francis has established a new Feast of Mary as “Mother of the Church” to be celebrated on the Monday after Pentecost! How we need to acknowledge the great gift of Mary as Mother and Model for the Church. Let us continue on our journey toward consecrating ourselves totally to Jesus through Mary, our Mother.

It is significant also to hear the Gospel for this Third Sunday of Lent in connection with this new Feast and in connection with our first week of preparation for consecration. Jesus cleanses the temple! How the Church needs to be cleansed and renewed! How each of us needs to be cleansed and renewed! Pope Francis has spoken often about the “worldliness” that has been creeping into the members of the Church!

Having spent 12 days emptying ourselves of the spirit of the world, we begin this week as St. Louis de Montfort wrote:

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 sails, 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.

Litany of the Holy Spirit can be found HERE
Ave Maris Stella - HERE
Litany of the Blessed Virgin - HERE