our 33 day consecration to Mary journey

I had a beautiful moving experience within today during my prayers for the consecration day. Maybe an inner anticipation and love I didn't have last year. How is everyone doing on our journey that is almost at an end yet never at an end?

 

In his meditations, Pope John Paul II leads us to Mother Mary at the foot of the Cross. I am reminded of Paul's letter to the Philippians:

3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

In praying about this verse, I realized that Our Lady has lived this verse! Who knows Jesus as well as Mary? And in being overshadowed by the Holy Spirit at both the Annunciation and at Pentecost, Mary has experienced the power of the Resurrection! At the foot of the Cross, Our Holy Mother has participated in the sufferings of her Son and has been conformed to His death! Finally, in her Assumption, Mary surely has experienced the resurrection from the dead! Alleluia! In my weak attempt to consecrate myself to her Immaculate Heart, may Our Lady offer to me a grace from her Son that would enable me to live this verse out in my life, also.

Safe in the Refuge of the Immaculate Heart!

 

Two days to go!

Safe in the Refuge of the Immaculate Heart!

 

I have been faithful to each day of the retreat, using both books. When I started out, I expected to be posting far more regularly. Perhaps because Marian devotion is fairly new to me, I found the readings so rich that I felt there was little I could add. However, I do want to comment on Day 30 of the Gaitley retreat. He talks about 'feelings' - I do have a difficulty with this. I know in my heart that Mary is my mother, and I have long believed she is mediatrix of all graces. But I don't get the warm fuzzies - perhaps it's something that grows. I have 'head' devotion, and perhaps it hasn't reached my heart yet. The reading on Day 30 is concerned with Kolbe's writing, and he says that feeling love for Mary is a grace; "what counts is the will to love". I find this comforting and it makes sense for me and where I am right now.

I do have another little query. In making the consecration, one gives everything to Mary to be disposed as she wills. This includes all goods - I'm married to a non-Catholic who, while supportive and respectful of my faith, would baulk at my selling my car etc. We have a good standard of living, although I am not a shopaholic etc (I was). I'm making the retreat and the consecration because I feel it is right, and that we are in the Age of Mary and I want to sign up under her banner for whatever spiritual warfare we will face in the coming years. But how it will play out in my life I do not know. I'm going on trust. Another possible factor - I've just co-written a book about St John Paul, and, having grown very close to him in recent years, I wonder if this is coming from him? My book is about his spirituality - it is not possible to study this without being challenged oneself; he was a spiritual athlete. So perhaps he is entrusting me to Mary?

 

I have so enjoyed this preparation and time of consecration- amazing it is time tomorrow. I have loved how this 33 day time period that Potato sack chose for the consecration has included Holy Week, Easter, Divine Mercy, the Month of Mary, Mother's Day and Day of Fatima. How perfect!
Thanks Potato for leading the charge and may we all have a wonderful, joyful, blessed Consecration Day tomorrow!

 

May you all be greatly blessed tomorrow!

 

I am enjoying the last days of prep! I admit that I haven't had as much time to reflect or post this year as last year. but I am just as excited and as you say...our journey will never end...it will only be enriched over time!

 

you and me both Mario!

 

Hi Clare,
I'm so glad you have enjoyed your preparation! It is a wonderful journey, and it has only just begun. Having said that, I believe a love for Mary will grow in your heart over time. I recommend switching up doing a rosary with meditating on her 7 sorrows or her virtues which Gaitely provides great reflections for. Like any relationship, it takes time to develop and time in prayer. Maybe also going to her for help with your next difficulty or problem. A lot of what Mother Theresa was talking about was dependence on her, and I certainly called on her help with a heavy cross I had when I did this last year. And that really helped my relationship with her to grow. But, I didn't have a "go-to" saint like you have...I was a saint surfer, praying to everyone for help and getting no results. Just going to Mary simplified it for me, and I'm sure John Paul the great would encourage you to do this!!

As for your other question, I had the same concern as you. Last year I had just given up much of my life and possessions due to long term unemployment. I was very worried what little I had left would be ripped out from under my feet. But I do believe those conerns were fueled by the evil one to create fear in me and try to scare me from doing the consecration. I highly doubt our heavenly mother is expecting you to sell your car!! But I do recommend you start to mentally de-tach from all things of this world, like you have with shopping. Not to be a "debbie downer", but big events are coming that will turn our worlds upside down. You won't be thinking about your car but you will be thinking about seeking refuge under our lady's mantle...and that is why you did this consecration!!

 

Yay! Thank you Potato Sack and may God and His Mother bless you. I made my consecration first thing this morning. I had had all sorts of ideas about doing it in a fancy sort of ceremony (just me and the angels) but in the end I sat on the side of my bed, knowing that my day is going to be a busy one. After making the consecration I signed the little de Montfort book with the retreat in it as it has the consecration prayer at the end. I feel so happy! We are asked by St Louis to do some act of devotion today, so I will send off a donation to a charity. I got to confession on Sunday.

Potato Sack, It would be good if you could have a thread for those of us starting out, where we can come with ideas, questions, insights (even dare I say it difficulties) into the way of life of Marian consecration. I don't know anyone personally who has made this, so this forum is my little company. I guess we are now a platoon of her militia. St Max K would like that!

 

Great idea, Clare!

 

I woke up in the middle of the night with a strong feeling that I should look at my clock because Our Lord wanted me to see the time and that there was meaning to the time (I always keep my clock covered because the light from the clock is too bright). Many times in the past Our Lord will wake me up exactly at 3:33 am as a way of letting me know I needed to pray for someone. This time I moved the cloth over the clock and saw that the time was exactly 2:17 am. I didn't know what it meant, but I knew inside that I would come to know. I began to pray and eventually fell back asleep. I woke up this morning and felt the need to go to Mass even if it meant getting to work late. It wasn't until I was at Mass and the priest said it was the Feast day of Our Lady of Fatima that I knew why I needed to go to Mass (I usually know in advance the next day's feast, but yesterday I didn't get a chance to pray my liturgy of the hours so I forgot that today was going to be the Feast day of Our Lady of Fatima). I didn't make the connection of the meaning of 2:17 until just a couple of minutes ago. And then it hit my like a flood of grace. It was our Blessed Mother letting me know the significance of 2017 (the 100 year anniversary of her apparition to the 3 children of Fatima). It was both a gift to me to let me know she is watching over me, my family, and all those I am praying for and also to remind me of the seriousness of the times we live in and what is about to happen. What a wonderful mother we have in Heaven. We are about to go through some very difficult times as Christians, but she will protect us and keep us close to her son.

She also moved my heart to remember that just as she promised that the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart by all the bishops in communion with the Pope will bring about the conversion of Russia and peace to the world, we should also make sure to consecrate every single person we are praying for to her Immaculate Heart. She cannot resist such a heartfelt consecration and she will protect and bring about full conversion of the people you consecrate to her.

 

so great to have so many souls consecrated today!! It was fun to powerful to renew this consecration again and do it today. It is amazing what happens to you when you give everything to Mary. She has already taken me up on this and now I have found myself sharing her messages and what not to the whole world to this new group on FB that I started just yesterday on the eve of our consecration. In one day the fruits of this work are already growing as 75 people have already joined the group. Mary and the Holy Spirit at work truly in my life these days. I just hope not to disappoint Our Mom!!

 

I did not know until today but am joyfully delighted that we all consecrated on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Well done my fellow slaves and children of Mary.


Next for me I think is Militia Immaculatae. Getting ready for all out war through prayer.

 

Thank you everyone, for joining me on this 33 day journey! I really enjoyed your thoughts, reflections, and virtual companionship! I consecrated myself first thing this morning...just me, our lady, 33-days to morning glory book, and a cup of coffee. What a way to start the day...well, starting the next phase of the journey really...living the consecration. I am very excited to begin this next phase with enthusiasm and great joy! It is time to grow closer to Mary as the spiritual battles around us intensify. May we always run under her mantle for protection...dragging all of our friends and families with us

 

Congratulations to all on successfully completing your journey! God is good!

 

I'm so glad you got so much out of the last 33 days Clare. You were on fire from the start with all the reading you were doing. Yes, now we are now a platoon in her militia...I do love the thought of that! I
do think Kolbe rubbed off on you!

I was thinking about this post this morning and about a thread on living the consecration. My mind actually started to take off on maybe a new section of the forum dedicated to marian consecration, with threads for those living it, thinking about doing it, educating themselves on it, etc. I think I will talk to Padraig about it. Thank you for the inspiration!