Why Marian consecration? Here's why...

Another snippet tonight, from de Montfort again:

It is true that on our way we have hard battles to fight and serious obstacles to overcome, but Mary, our Mother and Queen, stays close to her faithful servants. She is always at hand to brighten their darkness, clear away their doubts, strengthen them in their fears, sustain them in their combats and trials. Truly, in comparison with other ways, this virgin road to Jesus is a path of roses and honey.

 

PS,

This link with the Holy Spirit and Our Lady is very important since she is His Spouse. So while we surrender each day into her hands as our loving Mother, I believe we should simultaneously call out to the Holy Spirit for the grace to perceive His promptings.

Safe in the Refuge of the Immaculate Heart!

 

yes, I have started to add the Litany to the Holy Spirit to my prayer routine, asking for guidance in some specific areas of my life where I am unsure which way to go and which is God's will for me. The Holy Spirit is our helper here on earth, and I need the help. And yes, He is the spouse of our lady. It is amazing how many "resources" we can call upon at any time to bring us closer to Jesus and the will of God in our lives...our lady, the Holy Spirit, the saints, the angels for protection, the sacrements to strengthen us, grace to sustain us...in these times we need to utilize all that is available to us.

 

In 33 Days to Morning Glory, a quote from St. Maximillan Kolbe on his thoughts on Mary and the Holy Spirit:

What type of union is this [between the Holy Spirit and Mary]? It is above all an interior union, a union of her essence with the "essence" of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in her, lives in her. This was true from the first instant of her existence. It was always true; it will always be true.

In what does this life of the Spirit in Mary consist? He himself is uncreated Love in her; the Love of the Father and of the Son, the Love by which God loves himself, the very love of the Most Holy Trinity. He is a fruitful Love, a "Conception." Among creatures made in God's image the union brought about by married love is the most intimate of all (see Mt 19:6). In a much more precise, more interior, more essential manner, the Holy Spirit lives in the soul of the Immaculata, in the depths of her very being. He makes her fruitful, from the very first instant of her existence, all during her life, and for all eternity.

This eternal "Immaculate Conception" (which is the Holy Spirit) produces in an immaculate manner divine life itself in the womb (or depths) of Mary's soul, making her the Immaculate Conception, the human Immaculate Conception. And the virginal womb of Mary's body is kept sacred for him; there he conceives in time — because everything that is material occurs in time — the human life of the Man-God.

... If among human beings the wife takes the name of her husband because she belongs to him, is one with him, becomes equal to him and is, with him, the source of new life, with how much greater reason should the name of the Holy Spirit, who is the divine Immaculate Conception, be used as the name of her in whom he lives as uncreated Love, the principle of life in the whole supernatural order of grace?

 

And Fr. Michael Gaitley's reflection on Kolbe's passage in 33 Days to Morning Glory:

In light of this remarkable passage, I'd like to make three points. First, ponder it again, deeply and prayerfully. As you do, keep in mind that these are the parting words of one of the greatest Marian saints of all time, answering the very question to which he dedicated his life and energies. Second, if it seems that Kolbe has gone a bit overboard with this talk of Mary and her union with the Holy Spirit, don't worry. Pope Paul VI went out of his way to reassure the faithful that Kolbe's teaching is sound. Third, if you only get one point from this challenging passage, may it be this: Mary is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. In fact, her union with the Holy Spirit is even deeper than what we understand by a spousal relationship.

 

From True Devotion to Mary:

Mary, Star of the sea, guides all her faithful servants into safe harbour. She shows them the path to eternal life and helps them avoid dangerous pitfalls. She leads them by the hand along the path of holiness, steadies them when they are liable to fall and helps them rise when they have fallen. She chides them like a loving mother when they are remiss and sometimes she even lovingly chastises them. How could a child that follows such a mother and such an enlightened guide as Mary take the wrong path to heaven? Follow her and you cannot go wrong, says St. Bernard.

 

I've recently come to a greater appreciation for St. Bernard. Not only because our 5th child was born last August on his feast day and I feel that he interceded for our safety, but also because I've become more aware of what a spiritual powerhouse he was while here on earth--and is even more so in heaven. The Memorare and Ave Maris Stella are such heartfelt, beautiful prayers. He truly must've had a great love and devotion to our Blessed Mother!

St. Bernard, please pray that we will love Mary as you did!

 

from True Devotion to Mary:

This devotion, when faithfully undertaken, is a perfect means of ensuring that the value of all our good works is being used for the greater glory of God. Scarcely anyone works for that noble end, in spite of the obligation to do so, either because men do not know where God's greatest glory is to be found or because they do not desire it. Now Mary, to whom we surrender the value and merit of our good actions, knows perfectly well where God's greatest glory lies and she works only to promote that glory. The devout servant of our Lady, having entirely consecrated himself to her as I have described above, can boldly claim that the value of all his actions, words and thoughts is used for the greatest glory of God, unless he has explicitly retracted his offering. For one who loves God with a pure and unselfish love and prizes God's glory and interests far above his own, could anything be more consoling?

 

more True Devotion tonight:

This devotion is a smooth, short, perfect and sure way of attaining union with our Lord, in which Christian perfection consists.

(a) This devotion is a smooth way. It is the path which Jesus Christ opened up in coming to us and in which there is no obstruction to prevent us reaching him. It is quite true that we can attain to divine union by other roads, but these involve many more crosses and exceptional setbacks and many difficulties that we cannot easily overcome. We would have to pass through spiritual darkness, engage in struggles for which we are not prepared, endure bitter agonies, scale precipitous mountains, tread upon painful thorns, and cross frightful deserts. But when we take the path of Mary, we walk smoothly and calmly.

 

In what way is it calm for me? Does it mean there are fewer valleys in life? No. But I have the help of her who bore Jesus, of her who is with me at the foot of the Cross, of her who Jesus entrusted to me as Mother, and of her whose mind and heart has never been clouded by sin. Our Lady's love for me is strong and pure. She is wise and faithful like her Son. So when I'm in a valley the Two Hearts are with me and I am more peaceful.

Praise God!

Safe in the Refuge of the Immaculate Heart!

 

amen Mario. the valleys are there the same as anyone and they can sometimes be deep and last a long time. But we are not alone in the valley and I just try to look for the flowers that are there in the valley that are left for us by Jesus and Mary. they are there even if you are walking in the valley of tears.

 

from True Devotion:

It is true that on our way we have hard battles to fight and serious obstacles to overcome, but Mary, our Mother and Queen, stays close to her faithful servants. She is always at hand to brighten their darkness, clear away their doubts, strengthen them in their fears, sustain them in their combats and trials. Truly, in comparison with other ways, this virgin road to Jesus is a path of roses and sweet delights. There have been some saints, not very many, such as St. Ephrem, St. John Damascene, St. Bernard, St. Bernardine, St. Bonaventure, and St. Francis de Sales, who have taken this smooth path to Jesus Christ, because the Holy Spirit, the faithful Spouse of Mary, made it known to them by a special grace. The other saints, who are the greater number, while having a devotion to Mary, either did not enter or did not go very far along this path. That is why they had to undergo harder and more dangerous trials.

 

All we need to do is remember the trials that Mary and Saint Joseph had in the early years of Jesus life. They surely walked through a valley of tears with trials and inconveniences.

Their trials were too numerous to list; just start to think of all we have read about, and we soon realise our difficulties are a sure Sign we are walking the same road through life blessed Mother walked. Praise God.

 

More from de Montfort:

153. Why is it then, a servant of Mary might ask, that devoted servants of this good Mother are called upon to suffer much more than those who serve her less generously? They are opposed, persecuted, slandered, and treated with intolerance. They may also have to walk in interior darkness and through spiritual deserts without being given from heaven a single drop of the dew of consolation. If this devotion to the Blessed Virgin makes the path to Jesus smoother, how can we explain why Mary's loyal servants are so ill-treated?

 

the answer:

154. I reply that it is quite true that the most faithful servants of the Blessed Virgin, being her greatest favourites, receive from her the best graces and favours from heaven, which are crosses. But I maintain too that these servants of Mary bear their crosses with greater ease and gain more merit and glory. What could check another's progress a thousand times over, or possibly bring about his downfall, does not balk them at all, but even helps them on their way. For this good Mother, filled with the grace and unction of the Holy Spirit, dips all the crosses she prepares for them in the honey of her maternal sweetness and the unction of pure love. They then readily swallow them as they would sugared almonds, though the crosses may be very bitter. I believe that anyone who wishes to be devout and live piously in Jesus will suffer persecution and will have a daily cross to carry. But he will never manage to carry a heavy cross, or carry it joyfully and perseveringly, without a trusting devotion to our Lady, who is the very sweetness of the cross. It is obvious that a person could not keep on eating without great effort unripe fruit which has not been sweetened.

 

one more for tonight:

157. (c) This devotion is a perfect way to reach our Lord and be united to him, for Mary is the most perfect and the most holy of all creatures, and Jesus, who came to us in a perfect manner, chose no other road for his great and wonderful journey. The Most High, the Incomprehensible One, the Inaccessible One, He who is, deigned to come down to us poor earthly creatures who are nothing at all. How was this done?

The Most High God came down to us in a perfect way through the humble Virgin Mary, without losing anything of his divinity or holiness. It is likewise through Mary that we poor creatures must ascend to almighty God in a perfect manner without having anything to fear.

 

From Father Michael Gaitley in 33 Days to Morning Glory:

if we're fully consecrated to Mary, then she works in our lives, augments our good works, and cares for us and our loved ones even when we don't have recourse to her. Moreover, with the Holy Spirit, she leads us to Jesus regardless of whether or not we're thinking of her. Such is the power of her motherhood. Such is the power of Marian consecration! Because of the greatness of this gift, we should strive all the more to unite ourselves with Mary and aim to do everything through her, with her, and in her. At least out of gratitude, we should make it our aim to have an attitude of growing mindfulness of and dependence on her. Yet there should be more at work here than just trying to be grateful to Mary. For the more we belong to her, the more she can use us to accomplish God's most perfect will. Indeed, the more we unite ourselves to Mary the more she can bring us into the deepest possible intimacy with Jesus. This is a mystery that she herself will teach us, a lesson we'll learn more from the experience of her loving care than from studying it in books.

 

from True Devotion:

158. Show me a new road to our Lord, pave it with all the merits of the saints, adorn it with their heroic virtues, illuminate and enhance it with the splendour and beauty of the angels, have all the angels and saints there to guide and protect those who wish to follow it. Give me such a road and truly, truly, I boldly say - and I am telling the truth - that instead of this road, perfect though it be, I would still choose the immaculate way of Mary. It is a way, a road without stain or spot, without original sin or actual sin, without shadow or darkness,. When our loving Jesus comes in glory once again to reign upon earth - as he certainly will - he will choose no other way than the Blessed Virgin, by whom he came so surely and so perfectly the first time. The difference between his first and his second coming is that the first was secret and hidden, but the second will be glorious and resplendent. Both are perfect because both are through Mary. Alas, this is a mystery which we cannot understand, "Here let every tongue be silent."

 

This image of harbor is very important in our family, especially when our six children were younger. My precious wife, Geralyn, would say, "You build a ship in the safety of a harbor, not out in the middle of a storm." We believed that the formation of our children was such a high calling that we restricted their mixing with the secular culture. So first, we consecrated our family to the Two Hearts and then we home-schooled the kids. When our children went on to higher education, they expressed some disappointment. Benjamin showed some athletic skills that obviously developed late. Rachel struggled to find musical connections with new friends because we shielded her from the secular tunes. Therefore, their first year away from home was a form of concentrated new experiences and took some adjustment. But today they are grown, content and faithful Catholics.

In a similar but even more powerful way, Mary can be our safe harbor and her Mantle a covering of protection. Trust in her and she will keep us content and at peace in the storms of life. And always she brings us ever more deeply into a relationship with Jesus!

Thank your Dear Lady!

 

I can't imagine trying to raise children in the storm of just everyday secular life in public schools. When I grew up, the storm of secular life was not nearly that bad. But as I have matured in my faith and detached from the world, I realize I am willfully living in the safe harbor of Mary, detached from much of what I used to consider normal. I was told by a very young person who worked with me in the store that I live under a rock. I told her, well, I like it under my rock. I hope she copes well when the storm hits. She no longer works in the store so I don't see her, but think of her every now and then. she was really arrogant and a know it all, but a product of this secular world, so I know it is not all her fault. prayers for those young people so lost in the secular world...