What Does "consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary" Mean?

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auctoris

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Can someone explain what the following phrase means?
Consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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I’m on my way to Catholicism and have been studying it for some time, but I have no idea what that phrase means.

What is “consecration”? What does it do? Why are things consecrated? Why are things consecrated to Mary? Why are thing consecrated to the “Immaculate Heart” of Mary? Can things be consecrated to something else? If so, what and why?

I’m not sure I’ve ever read a phrase written in modern English that I understood less–and I’ve read Kant. 🙂

Thank you
 
auctoris said:
Can someone explain what the following phrase means?

I’m on my way to Catholicism and have been studying it for some time, but I have no idea what that phrase means.

What is “consecration”? What does it do? Why are things consecrated? Why are things consecrated to Mary? Why are thing consecrated to the “Immaculate Heart” of Mary? Can things be consecrated to something else? If so, what and why?

I’m not sure I’ve ever read a phrase written in modern English that I understood less–and I’ve read Kant. 🙂

Thank you
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mmp-usa.net/consecration_mary.html

totalconsecration.newevangelizers.com/consecration-explained/

Initially, this idea may seem strange to some. Why consecration? And why consecration through Mary? What does that even mean?

Consecration means to set aside for a sacred purpose. Mary’s life was set aside for the sole purpose of serving our Lord. By following her example, we, too, can completely give ourselves to Christ in a fundamental way that consecrates us to Him. We give our lives to Him in service and love.

Consecration to Jesus through Mary according to the method of St. Louis de Montfort is a method used by Pope John Paul II and it is this consecration that lead to the founding of Rosary Army in 2003.

Why do this?
We consecrate ourselves in order to be more devoted to the Lord and His Blessed Mother. It helps us grow in holiness and increase our faith, hope, and love. It is a prayerful and focused method of drawing closer to Jesus than ever before.
 
One can also use the word “entrusted” to -that was used by St. John Paul II often.
 
pablope said:
Consecration means to set aside for a sacred purpose. Mary’s life was set aside for the sole purpose of serving our Lord. By following her example, we, too, can completely give ourselves to Christ in a fundamental way that consecrates us to Him. We give our lives to Him in service and love.

Why do this?
We consecrate ourselves in order to be more devoted to the Lord and His Blessed Mother. It helps us grow in holiness and increase our faith, hope, and love. It is a prayerful and focused method of drawing closer to Jesus than ever before.
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Thank you for the info that helps. I know protestants believe that salvation is dedicating your life to Jesus, but there are also people who “rededicate” their lives. Then there are those who become missionary or “go into the ministry”. Does consecration have any vocational connotations?

Can something be consecrated to Jesus without going through anyone else?

How can a country be consecrated? For example, the Fatima children said Russia should be consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. What does that mean practically? I mean every person in Russia is not giving consent to dedicate their lives to Jesus, so what is it doing. Why is it concentrated “through her Immaculate Heart” rather than just “through Mary”?

Thank you
 
auctoris said:
Thank you for the info that helps. I know protestants believe that salvation is dedicating your life to Jesus, but there are also people who “rededicate” their lives. Then there are those who become missionary or “go into the ministry”. Does consecration have any vocational connotations?

Can something be consecrated to Jesus without going through anyone else?

How can a country be consecrated? For example, the Fatima children said Russia should be consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. What does that mean practically? I mean every person in Russia is not giving consent to dedicate their lives to Jesus, so what is it doing. Why is it concentrated “through her Immaculate Heart” rather than just “through Mary”?

Thank you
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you are asking some very good questions. I am a convert myself of almost 8 years so I will be reading the replies posted here so I can better understand also.
 
auctoris said:
Thank you for the info that helps. I know protestants believe that salvation is dedicating your life to Jesus, but there are also people who “rededicate” their lives. Then there are those who become missionary or “go into the ministry”. Does consecration have any vocational connotations?

Can something be consecrated to Jesus without going through anyone else?

How can a country be consecrated? For example, the Fatima children said Russia should be consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. What does that mean practically? I mean every person in Russia is not giving consent to dedicate their lives to Jesus, so what is it doing. Why is it concentrated “through her Immaculate Heart” rather than just “through Mary”?

Thank you
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Hi again, Auctoris.

How was Staple’s book?

Anyway, not a Marian apparation expert so I cant comment much on them. I’m not even sure I believe in all of them. I’ll be following this and your Fatima thread to read other’s replies.

In regards to things being consecrated to Jesus; absolutely. We use the phrase “offer it up”…that can applied to redemptive suffering or all difficult aspects of our life. Offer it up to Jesus on the cross, consecrate it. I do it often when dealing with a difficult person like my boss, lol.

In regards to the immaculate heart of Mary:
Luke 2:35New International Version (NIV)
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35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.** And a sword will pierce your own soul too.**
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Mary was the ultimate servant of God. Unlike our first mother, Eve, Mary says yes to God and is in total submission, even though it was extremely painful to see her own Son suffer so greatly. That. is what we as Christians should all be striving for…putting the Lord above our own ambitions.

Personally, Mary was a big stumbling block for me as a Protestant convert. Now I ask for her intercession daily and desire to be more like her as a servant and enemy of Satan.

God bless you on your journey.
 
In my experience, Marian devotion is an avenue to Jesus through the heart, not the intellect. This avenue is especially manifest in the rosary. For lack of a better way of putting it, in the meditations of the rosary Mary acts as a guide through the life and resurrection of Jesus.
 
auctoris said:
Thank you for the info that helps.

You are welcome and I hope I was able to help you.
I know protestants believe that salvation is dedicating your life to Jesus, but there are also people who “rededicate” their lives. Then there are those who become missionary or “go into the ministry”. Does consecration have any vocational connotations?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I’m beginning to understand a little better through information from various threads. Let me enumerate the questions I have to see if that helps focus the topic.
  1. Why would something be dedicated to Mary, rather than Jesus? What is being accomplished differently?
  2. Why use the term “immaculate heart”? Why not just consecrated to Mary or “Mary’s” heart? What does the term “immaculate” add to the consecration?
  3. Why isn’t this a no-brainer? Why wasn’t it already done? Why didn’t some pope at some point (before JPII) think “I should consecrate the entire world to Jesus,” or, for whatever specific theological reason, to Mary. Why did the apparition need to spell it out?
  4. What was hoped to be accomplished? What difference would it make if the consecration were done or not done?
Thank you again to everyone who’s been contributing.
 
Just wanted to repost these final questions I had in case someone has an answer.

I’m beginning to understand a little better through information from various threads. Let me enumerate the questions I have to see if that helps focus the topic.
  1. Why would something be dedicated to Mary, rather than Jesus? What is being accomplished differently?
  2. Why use the term “immaculate heart”? Why not just consecrated to Mary or “Mary’s” heart? What does the term “immaculate” add to the consecration?
  3. Why isn’t this a no-brainer? Why wasn’t it already done? Why didn’t some pope at some point (before JPII) think “I should consecrate the entire world to Jesus,” or, for whatever specific theological reason, to Mary. Why did the apparition need to spell it out?
  4. What was hoped to be accomplished? What difference would it make if the consecration were done or not done?
Thank you again to everyone who’s been contributing.
 
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