Mar. 5 - Wk. 1, Day 2 on our journey to Consecration

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Let me repeat the words of St. Louis De Montfort, which he wrote to guide us through this week:

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

Yesterday was a busy day for me and it was late in the afternoon, when I suddenly realized I had not prayed the three prayers particularly asked by St. Louis! So I finished folding the laundry and sat down at the computer, found the links to the three prayers, and prayed them as lovingly as I could. Today I am going to pray those prayers, as soon as I finish typing this post!

I want to emphasize St. Louis words: “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”.

Self-knowledge is the Grace we need as the foundation of all others because true self-knowledge is humility! May the Holy Spirit bring us into all the Truth about ourselves that we may become humble as our Mother is. May Our Mother intercede for us that we be docile to the Holy Spirit as she was on this earth and remains united with God in heaven. May we obey the words of Jesus (Mt 11:28-30):

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

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

 

[patricius79]

Thanks MariaChristi. That is helpful.

Thanks be to God for Mary’s help!

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks MariaChristi. That is helpful.

Thanks be to God for Mary’s help!

Thanks again for your reply, Brother Pat,

Yes, Our Mother is always interceding with Jesus before the Father! How Good He is to give her to us.

The Litany to the Holy Spirit is a beautiful reminder of God’s Love for us and the Litany of the Blessed Mother reminds us of all the wonderful work He has done in Mary and wants to do in us! Ave, Maris Stella! Hail, Star of the Sea who lights our way Home!

 

[patricius79]

Thanks again for your reply, Brother Pat,

Yes, Our Mother is always interceding with Jesus before the Father! How Good He is to give her to us.

The Litany to the Holy Spirit is a beautiful reminder of God’s Love for us and the Litany of the Blessed Mother reminds us of all the wonderful work He has done in Mary and wants to do in us! Ave, Maris Stella! Hail, Star of the Sea who lights our way Home!

Thanks dear Sister MariaChristi,

Yes, and St. Maximilian Kolbe rightly says that everything God the Holy Spirit does he does through Mary, His Spouse.

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks dear Sister MariaChristi,

Yes, and St. Maximilian Kolbe rightly says that everything God the Holy Spirit does he does through Mary, His Spouse.

Thanks for your reply, dear brother Pat,

St. Maximilian Kolbe lived many years after St. Louis de Montfort and God gave

st. Maximilian many gifts for the Church as He did St. Louis de Montfort. For me, the Act of Consecration composed by St. Maximilian in a certain way “completed” for me the Act of Total Consecration composed by St. Louis de Montfort. I think we discussed, in another thread, their similarity.

St. Maximilian spent much more time in his writing about the union of Mary and the Holy Spirit. I’ve been blessed in reading the writings of both, and in praying both saints’ Acts of Consecration, at least annually, and sometimes more often in the short form. I keep copies of both Consecration Prayers in my Bible.

 

[patricius79]

Thanks for your reply, dear brother Pat,

St. Maximilian Kolbe lived many years after St. Louis de Montfort and God gave

st. Maximilian many gifts for the Church as He did St. Louis de Montfort. For me, the Act of Consecration composed by St. Maximilian in a certain way “completed” for me the Act of Total Consecration composed by St. Louis de Montfort. I think we discussed, in another thread, their similarity.

St. Maximilian spent much more time in his writing about the union of Mary and the Holy Spirit. I’ve been blessed in reading the writings of both, and in praying both saints’ Acts of Consecration, at least annually, and sometimes more often in the short form. I keep copies of both Consecration Prayers in my Bible.

Thanks MariaChristi,

Yes, St. Maximillian writes so beautifully about how the creature Mary and the Trinity are one!

 

[MariaChristi]

Thanks MariaChristi,

Yes, St. Maximillian writes so beautifully about how the creature Mary and the Trinity are one!

St. Maximillian is a very careful theologian too – he makes clear that Mary is not God – she is not a fourth person in the Trinity – but rather her union with God is unique and exalted above other human persons, in her being overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, and conceiving within her Womb, Jesus the Incarnate Word, Son of God, sent by the Father. Mary’s beauty is unsurpassed by any other human person for she is The Immaculate One, who never sinned, but always said “Yes” to God.

During this week we are trying to gain true knowledge of ourselves. I marvel at the fact that despite all my sins and weaknesses, Jesus chose to say from His Cross to all:
“Behold your Mother”. She is all we are called to be. So we can trust God to enable us to repent of our sins and look to Him for the grace we need to become daily more like Mary in saying our little “Yes” to God.

 

[patricius79]

St. Maximillian is a very careful theologian too – he makes clear that Mary is not God – she is not a fourth person in the Trinity – but rather her union with God is unique and exalted above other human persons, in her being overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, and conceiving within her Womb, Jesus the Incarnate Word, Son of God, sent by the Father. Mary’s beauty is unsurpassed by any other human person for she is The Immaculate One, who never sinned, but always said “Yes” to God.

During this week we are trying to gain true knowledge of ourselves. I marvel at the fact that despite all my sins and weaknesses, Jesus chose to say from His Cross to all:
“Behold your Mother”. She is all we are called to be. So we can trust God to enable us to repent of our sins and look to Him for the grace we need to become daily more like Mary in saying our little “Yes” to God.

Yes, that is what is so beautiful in St. Maximilian’s vision. Mary is a creature of God, and yet her union with the Trinity is so unique.

I love how he talks about how we are so weak and sinful, but through Mary our acts of love acquire a perfect purity, and that Jesus then enriches them with an infinite value, so that the Father is infinitely glorified, despite all our brokenness, through our meager works!

 

[MariaChristi]

Yes, that is what is so beautiful in St. Maximilian’s vision. Mary is a creature of God, and yet her union with the Trinity is so unique.

I love how he talks about how we are so weak and sinful, but through Mary our acts of love acquire a perfect purity, and that Jesus then enriches them with an infinite value, so that the Father is infinitely glorified, despite all our brokenness, through our meager works!

Yes! There is such wisdom from God to be learned from His Saints.