Week 1 - Day 1- Seeking self-knowledge on the journey to Consecration

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

After 12 days, seeking to “rid ourselves of the spirit of the world”, we begin today the first of three weeks, seeking first to know our own spirit, then seeking to know Mary’s Spirit, and finally to know the Spirit of Christ. St. Louis de Montfort describes this Week I in his treatise on “True Devotion”:

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.

Choose a time that is best for you to pray. Perhaps, try each prayer at a different time, if you need to, in order to pray with the necessary attention and devotion. Links to the prayers are:

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

By God’s Grace, remember the purpose St. Louis gives to pray these prayers: “Lord let me know myself”; beg Our Lady’s intercession for the grace which is the foundation of all others, the grace of self-knowledge.

Thanks for being on the journey – when one member of the Body grows in holiness, the whole Body grows!