Nov. 10 - Day 2 of our Journey

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today, by God’s Grace, we begin Day 2 preparing for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary. St. Louis de Montfort in his Treatise on True Devotion was inspired by the Holy Spirit to urge us before anything else, first :

spend at least twelve days in emptying themselves of the spirit of the world, which is opposed to the spirit of Jesus (-- True Devotion, paragragh 227)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us also:

No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon."

The Pharisees, who loved money,
heard all these things and sneered at Him.

And He said to them,
“You justify yourselves in the sight of others,
but God knows your hearts;
for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16)

God does not want us to have divided hearts. He wants us to love Him with our whole heart, and soul and mind and strength. St. John the Beloved Disciple who rested his head on the Heart of Christ and to whom Jesus entrusted Mary on Calvary wrote in his first letter to the early Church:

Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever. (1 Jn 2: 15- 17)

It is not easy to discern our own hearts, we can so easily deceive ourselves. We need God’s Holy Spirit to convict us of sin so that we may come to know when we are being “Of” the world and not merely “In the world”. Let us listen to God’s Word of Truth and ask the Spirit of Truth to give us His Wisdom as we begin our journey. May He Who is given to be our Sanctifier, cleanse our hearts and minds that we may “see” in faith: Jesus Who is our Way. By His Grace, let us follow Him, trusting in the power of His Holy Spirit to discern truth from lies and continue emptying ourselves of the spirit of the world that is oppsed to the spirit of Jesus.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your Faithful. Jesus, we trust in You! Mary, Mother and Model for the Church, pray for us. St. Joseph, St. Louis de Montfort and all you holy saints and Angels pray for us.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I’m grateful to those who at least “viewed” this post. Although no one stopped to reply, I hope those who read it, were blessed in some way. I will post Day 3 as I close this one.
It is never too late to begin this journey.

 

[GLam1761]

Thanx, Maria Christi for your interest in Marian Consecration,
I have come to the conclusion that the “New Eve” that God is
referring to in Genesis 3 “I will put enmity between [the serpent]
and the woman” is actually the Church, the future Bride of Christ!
See 2 Cor. 11:3
However that being said, it will NOT take away the place Mary
has in the heart of Jesus and the Saints of old, nor MY heart,
she is the Perfect Mother, the enabler in the INCARNATION of
the God-Man, Jesus Christ!!

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear Glam,

Thanks for your reply. Many have seen Mary our Mother as the “New Eve”. Mary is both Mother and Model for the Church. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church,we read this beautiful description of Mary:

III. MARY - ESCHATOLOGICAL ICON OF THE CHURCH

972 After speaking of the Church, her origin, mission, and destiny, we can find no better way to conclude than by looking to Mary. In her we contemplate what the Church already is in her mystery on her own “pilgrimage of faith,” and what she will be in the homeland at the end of her journey. There, “in the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity,” “in the communion of all the saints,” The Church is awaited by the one she venerates as Mother of her Lord and as her own mother.

In the meantime the Mother of Jesus, in the glory which she possesses in body and soul in heaven, is the image and beginning of the Church as it is to be perfected in the world to come. Likewise she shines forth on earth until the day of the Lord shall come, a sign of certain hope and comfort to the pilgrim People of God.