2016 Forum Consecration to Jesus through Mary

Discussion in 'Consecration to Mary' started by PotatoSack, Apr 10, 2016.

  1. Sam

    Sam Powers

    33 Days to Morning Glory

    DAY 5: Should We Really Give Mary Everything? (Part One)

    The second part of de Montfort's formula of consecration says that we should give Mary everything, including "our interior and spiritual goods, which are our merits and our virtues, and our good works, past, present, and future." Isn't this a bit too much? No. It's perfect. It's beautiful. Let's see why by learning how the offering affects others and ourselves.

    In regard to others, when we fully consecrate ourselves to Mary, we lose the unconditional right to distribute the value of our prayers and good actions to others. In other words, we give the rights to the grace (merit) of our prayers to Mary. We're telling her, "Mary, I give you the right to distribute the grace of my prayers as you see fit."


    Making such a gift to Mary has a big benefit. It ensures that the grace of our prayers will be used in the best way possible. It works like this: Because of her unique vantage point from heaven, and on account of her most intimate communion with her Divine Son, Mary can best determine which people are most in need of our prayers. For instance, seeing some forgotten person in China about to die in despair, Mary can take the grace of our prayers (and "offered up" sufferings) and use it to help that dying person to trust in God and accept his mercy.

    Now, perhaps this idea has got some of us thinking:

    Well, that's great. I'm happy to help the dying person in China, whom I don't know, but I'd be disappointed if I therefore couldn't use the grace of my prayers and good works to help the people I do know, like my family and friends. I'm worried that if I give Mary the right to distribute the grace of my prayers and good works, then I thereby lose the right to pray for those whom I especially love, even if they're less in need than other people in the world.

    This is a legitimate concern, but there's no need to worry. Why? For two reasons: First, Mary makes the good things we give her more perfect. In other words, she augments, increases, and purifies the spiritual gifts and merits we give her. When we give them to her, because she makes them more perfect, there's more grace and merit to go around. St. Louis uses an unforgettable analogy to explain this:

    It is as if a peasant, wishing to gain the friendship and benevolence of the king, went to the queen and presented her with a fruit which was his whole revenue, in order that she might present it to the king. The queen, having accepted the poor little offering from the peasant, would place the fruit on a large and beautiful dish of gold, and so, on the peasant's behalf, would present it to the king. Then the fruit, however unworthy in itself to be a king's present, would become worthy of his majesty because of the dish of gold on which it rested and the person who presented it.

    Here's the second reason we shouldn't worry: Mary is never outdone in generosity. So, if we're so generous as to give her the right to distribute the grace of our prayers and good works, she'll surely be especially generous to our loved ones. In fact, she'll take even better care of our loved ones than we ourselves can. For instance, let's say one of our family members or friends is in need of prayer, and we don't know it. Well, Mary knows it, and she'll make sure that that person doesn't go without. Giving Mary the right to distribute the grace of our prayers and good works doesn't mean we can't still pray for our loved ones. We can and should pray for them. It's just that we give Mary the final say in deciding to whom and for what purpose the grace of our prayers and good works should be applied.

    Remember, Mary is not outdone in generosity. She especially hears the prayers of those of us who have given her everything — including the value of all our good works — and she wants us to tell her of the people and intentions we hold in our hearts. If we've given her everything, is there any doubt that she'll be generous in giving whatever good we ask for to those who are dear to us?

    Today's Prayer:
    Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary.
    Help me be generous in giving all I am and have to Mary.


    http://www.thedivinemercy.org/news/DAY-5-Should-We-Really-Give-Mary-Everything-Part-One-6481
     
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  2. PotatoSack

    PotatoSack Powers

    True Devotion to Mary

    Sixth Day
    Imitation: Book 1, Chapter 18


    On the examples of the Holy Fathers.

    Look upon the lively examples of the holy Fathers in whom shone real perfection and the religious life, and you will see how little it is, and almost nothing that we do. Alas, what is our life when we compare it with theirs? Saints and friends of Christ, they served our Lord in hunger and in thirst, in cold, in nakedness, in labor and in weariness, in watching, in fasting, prayers and holy meditations, and in frequent persecutions and reproaches. Oh, how many grievous tribulations did the Apostles suffer and the Martyrs and Confessors and Virgins, and all the rest who resolved to follow the steps of Christ! For they hated their lives in this world, that they might keep them in life everlasting. Oh what a strict and self-renouncing life the holy Fathers of the desert led! What long and grievous temptations did they bear! How often were they harassed by the enemy, what frequent and fervent prayers did they offer up to God, what rigorous abstinence did they practice!

    What a valiant contest waged they to subdue their imperfections! What purity and straightforwardness of purpose kept they towards God! By day they labored, and much of the night they spent in prayer; though while they labored, they were far from leaving off mental prayer. They spent all their time profitably. Every hour seemed short to spend with God; and even their necessary bodily refreshment was forgotten in the great sweetness of contemplation. They renounced all riches, dignities, honors and kindred; they hardly took what was necessary for life. It grieved them to serve the body even in its necessity. Accordingly, they were poor in earthly things, but very rich in grace and virtues.

    Prayers
    Veni Creator Spiritus, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat, Glory Be


    Prayers can be found in this sticky:
    http://motheofgod.com/threads/prayers-recited-during-st-louis-de-montforts-consecration.9040/

    St. Louis de Montfort - Total Consecration To Jesus Through Mary - Preliminary Twelve Days
     
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  3. PotatoSack

    PotatoSack Powers

    33 Days to Morning Glory

    DAY 6: Should We Really Give Mary Everything? (Part Two)

    Okay, so yesterday we looked at how, when we fully consecrate ourselves to Mary, we give up the right to distribute the grace of our prayers and merits to others. But we saw that it all works out even better in the end. Now, today, we turn to ourselves. Isn't it crazy to give to Mary all the value of our good actions and prayers and so appear before God with empty hands? No, it's not crazy. Remember, Mary is not outdone in generosity. If we give her all our merits, she'll give us all of hers.

    And that's a big deal.


    I once read a story about a saint on earth who had a vision of heaven. In her vision, she saw the saints in heaven and their different degrees of glory. With some saints, she was astonished because they had risen so high in glory as to be worshiping God with the Seraphim, the highest choir of angels. Another time, I read a passage in the Diary of St. Faustina in which Faustina had a similar vision of heaven. She related that if we were to see the differences among the degrees of glory in heaven, we would willingly suffer anything on earth just to move one degree higher. After reading these testimonies, I say to myself, "I not only want to go to heaven, but I want to reach the highest degree of glory in heaven that I possibly can." There's an easy way for us to do this: We give Mary everything. We rely not on our own merits but on hers. Saint Louis explains:

    The most holy Virgin ... who never lets herself be outdone in love and liberality, seeing that we give ourselves entirely to her ... meets us in the same spirit. She also gives her whole self, and gives it in an unspeakable manner, to him who gives all to her. She causes him to be engulfed in the abyss of her graces. She adorns him with her merits; she supports him with her power; she illuminates him with her light; she inflames him with her love; she communicates to him her virtues: her humility, her faith, her purity, and the rest. ... In a word, as that consecrated person is all Mary's, so Mary is all his.

    Now, despite these consoling words, one might still be troubled and say, "That's great! I'm all for having a high degree of glory in heaven. But what I'm worried about is purgatory. I'm afraid that if I give away all my merits, even to Mary, then I'll have to suffer in purgatory for a very long time." Saint Louis responds:

    This objection, which comes from self-love and ignorance of the generosity of God and His holy Mother, refutes itself. A fervent and generous soul who gives God all he has, without reserve, so that he can do nothing more; who lives only for the glory and reign of Jesus Christ, through His holy Mother, and who makes an entire sacrifice of himself to bring it about — will this generous and liberal soul, I say, be more punished in the other world because it has been more liberal and more disinterested than others? Far, indeed, will that be from the truth! Rather, it is toward that soul ... that Our Lord and His holy Mother are the most liberal in this world and in the other, in the orders of nature, grace, and glory.

    Okay, this settles it — and we get a gentle rebuke on top of it all. Saint Louis repeats the important point: Mary is not outdone in generosity! If we are especially generous with her, then she'll be especially generous with us. And he makes another good point: the gentle rebuke. He says that these kinds of concerns come from self-love. So, yes, we should aim high. Yes, we should have holy ambition and want to reach the highest heights of holiness. But our motive should not be self-love; rather, it should be that we want to please God and give great glory to him. We should keep this important point in mind when, tomorrow, we read about some of the awesome benefits of being consecrated to Mary.

    Today's Prayer:
    Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary.
    Help me to give great glory to God by giving all I am and have to Mary.

    http://www.thedivinemercy.org/news/DAY-6-Should-We-Really-Give-Mary-Everything-Part-Two-6482
     
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  4. Mario

    Mario Powers

    This past Tuesday I was touched during Holy Mass because the Collect corresponded so beautifully with the Baptismal theme of Day 3. But afterwards, I wasn't able to track it down until now. Here it is:

    O God, who open wide the gates of the heavenly Kingdom to those reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, pour out on your servants an increase of the grace you have bestowed, that, having been purged of all sins, they may lack nothing that in your kindness you have promised. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

    Notice, too, that the graces of baptism appear to have an ever present availability in the wording above; or perhaps, it's the mother load of all grace!:eek: The prayer certainly doesn't treat Baptism as a been there, done that, event. Very interesting!:)

    Alleluia!
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2016
  5. PotatoSack

    PotatoSack Powers

    True Devotion to Mary

    Seventh Day
    From the Immitation of Christ (Thomas a Kempis): Book 1, Chapter 18


    Outwardly they suffered want, but within they were refreshed with grace and Divine consolation. They were aliens to the world; they seemed as nothing and the world despised them; but they were precious and beloved in the sight of God. They persevered in true humility, they lived in simple obedience, they walked in charity and patience, and so every day they advanced in spirit and gained great favor with God. They were given for example to all religious, and ought more to excite us to advance in good, than the number of lukewarm to induce us to grow remiss. Oh! how great was the fervor of all religious in the beginning of their holy institute! Oh, how great was their devotion in prayer, how great was their zeal for virtue! How vigorous the discipline that was kept up, what reverence and obedience, under the rule of the superior, flourished in all! Their traces that remain still bear witness, that they were truly holy and perfect men who did battle so stoutly, and trampled the world under their feet. Now, he is thought great who is not a transgressor; and who can, with patience, endure what he has undertaken. Ah, the lukewarmness and negligence of our state! that we soon fall away from our first fervor, and are even now tired with life, from slothfulness and tepidity. Oh that advancement in virtue be not quite asleep in thee, who has so often seen the manifold examples of the devout!


    Prayers
    Veni Creator Spiritus, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat, Glory Be


    Prayers can be found in this sticky:
    http://motheofgod.com/threads/prayers-recited-during-st-louis-de-montforts-consecration.9040/

    St. Louis de Montfort - Total Consecration To Jesus Through Mary - Preliminary Twelve Days
     
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  6. PotatoSack

    PotatoSack Powers

    33 Days to Morning Glory

    DAY 7: A Quick, Easy, and Secure Way to Holiness
    For the last two days, we've learned about some beautiful benefits of being consecrated to Jesus through Mary, benefits both to ourselves and to those who are closest to us. Today, on this final day of meditation on the teaching of St. Louis, we're going to focus on other benefits of Marian consecration. Specifically, we're going to learn about how Marian consecration is a quick, easy, and secure way to holiness. As we read about this, we should keep in mind that the gift of these benefits doesn't entitle us to just kick back and take it easy. (This would be the self-love that St. Louis rebuked during yesterday's reading.) Rather, when we see God's generosity in giving us such a great gift as Marian consecration, we should strive all the more ardently to live it out and grow in holiness.

    Let's start with the quick and easy part: The way of consecration to Jesus through Mary is a quick and easy way to holiness. And what is holiness? Dying to self. And this definitely is not easy. Still, Marian consecration is a relatively quick and easy way along a path that by its very nature isn't easy and often takes a long time. Saint Louis introduces this way as follows:

    As there are secrets of nature by which natural operations are performed more easily, in a short time and at little cost, so also are there secrets in the order of grace by which supernatural operations, such as ridding ourselves of self, filling ourselves with God, and becoming perfect, are performed more easily.

    So how do we follow this quick and easy way? By giving ourselves to Jesus through Mary. Mary leads us to Jesus and makes the road to holiness quick and easy, even though she doesn't take away our crosses. In fact, those who are particularly beloved by Mary often have more crosses than others, but Mary makes the crosses sweet and light:

    t is quite true that the most faithful servants of the Blessed Virgin, being also her greatest favorites, receive from her the greatest graces and favors of Heaven, which are crosses. But I maintain that it is also the servants of Mary who carry these crosses with more ease, more merit, and more glory. That which would stay the progress of another a thousand times over, or perhaps would make him fall, does not once stop their steps, but rather enables them to advance; because that good Mother, all full of grace and of the unction of the Holy Spirit, prepares her servants' crosses with so much maternal sweetness and pure love as to make them gladly acceptable, no matter how bitter they may be in themselves; ... [it's] just as a person would not be able to eat unripe fruits without a great effort which he could hardly keep up, unless they had been preserved in sugar.


    We make more progress in a brief period of submission to and dependence on Mary than in whole years of following our own will and relying upon ourselves.23

    By this practice, faithfully observed, you will give Jesus more glory in a month than by any other practice, however difficult, in many years.

    [True devotees of Mary] have such facility in carrying the yoke of Jesus Christ that they feel almost nothing of its weight.

    So, the way of Marian consecration truly is quick and easy, relatively speaking. As St. Louis says elsewhere, it's like the difference between a sculptor who makes a statue through long weeks of hard labor, hammering away with a chisel and another artist who makes the same statue quickly and easily by using a mold. Mary is the mold that forms us most perfectly, quickly, and easily into other images of Christ.

    We'll now close these reflections on the wonderful benefits of Marian consecration by letting St. Louis describe how this way is also a secure path, meaning that, as we walk it, we're particularly protected from and defended against evil:

    [Mary] puts herself around [her true children], and accompanies them "like an army in battle array" (Cant 6:3). Shall a man who has an army of a hundred thousand soldiers around him fear his enemies? A faithful servant of Mary, surrounded by her protection ... has still less to fear. This good Mother ... would rather dispatch battalions of millions of angels to assist one of her servants than that it should ever be said that a faithful servant of Mary, who trusted in her, had had to succumb to the malice, the number, and the vehemence of his enemies.

    Today's Prayer:
    Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary.
    Help me to praise you for such a quick, easy, and secure path to holiness!

    http://www.thedivinemercy.org/news/DAY-7-A-Quick-Easy-and-Secure-Way-to-Holiness-6493
     
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  7. madkatmomma

    madkatmomma New Member

     
  8. madkatmomma

    madkatmomma New Member

    I read this and Fr. Gaitey's piece on the subject of giving our prayers over to Mary instead of "owning" our intentions and getting to distribute them to the people or situations of our own choosing. This is hard to wrap my head around because it is counter to everything I've always believed about prayer and the power of prayer. To my mind it's like a poverty of prayer, where we give Mary the "currency" of our prayers so she can spend it more wisely than we, with our limited knowledge, could do. I get the concept but it will be difficult for me to resist the desire to pray for the people and situations most important to me....any suggestions?o_O
     
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  9. maryn

    maryn Angels

    I have also struggled with this concept and have been praying for an increase in trust and an unusual thing happened last Saturday on the 1st day of preparing for the consecration on 13th May.
    I have been very worried about the soul of my daughter who is far from God and the church and I have spent a great deal of time and spiritual energy praying for her and I have decided to commend her to Our Mother's care. When I last spoke to her last Saturday, she said that there was a beautiful scent of roses in her house and that she was not sure where the scent was coming from. There are some rose shrubs near her back door, but in London in April, obviously no flowers.
    I hope I'm not letting my imagination run away with me, but I felt that this was a sign that my prayers have been heard and that Mary has taken on the care of my wondering lamb.
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2016
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  10. Marie-Lou

    Marie-Lou Guest

    I'm the same madkatmomma and maryn. I wonder would it be OK to pray as normal the way we always do but with the added words that we ask she remembers our own petitions but that she distributes our prayers as she sees fit. It is very difficult. We all have our own special intentions And I always like to pray for the Pope and our priests. I'm really not sure how it all works but I know she will look after us all
     
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  11. Sam

    Sam Powers

    True Devotion to Mary

    Eighth Day
    Imitation: Book 1, Chapter 13



    Of resisting temptations.

    As long as we live in this world, we cannot be without temptations and tribulations. Hence it is written in Job "Man's life on earth is a temptation." Everyone therefore should be solicitous about his temptations and watch in prayer lest the devil find an opportunity to catch him: who never sleeps, but goes about, seeking whom he can devour. No one is so perfect and holy as sometimes not to have temptations and we can never be wholly free from them. Nevertheless, temptations are very profitable to man, troublesome and grievous though they may be, for in them, a man is humbled, purified and instructed. All the Saints passed through many tribulations and temptations and were purified by them. And they that could not support temptations, became reprobate, and fell away.

    Many seek to flee temptations, and fall worse into them. We cannot conquer by flight alone, but by patience and true humility we become stronger than all our enemies. He who only declines them outwardly, and does not pluck out their root, will profit little; nay, temptations will sooner return and he will find himself in a worse condition. By degrees and by patience you will, by God's grace, better overcome them than by harshness and your own importunity. Take council the oftener in temptation, and do not deal harshly with one who is tempted; but pour in consolation, as thou wouldst wish to be done unto yourself. Inconstancy of mind and little confidence in God, is the beginning of all temptations. For as a ship without a helm is driven to and fro by the waves, so the man who neglects and gives up his resolutions is tempted in many ways.

    Prayers
    Veni Creator Spiritus, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat, Glory Be


    Prayers can be found in this sticky:
    http://motheofgod.com/threads/prayers-recited-during-st-louis-de-montforts-consecration.9040/

    St. Louis de Montfort - Total Consecration To Jesus Through Mary - Preliminary Twelve Days
     
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  12. Sam

    Sam Powers

    33 Days to Morning Glory

    DAY 8: Who are you, St. Maximilian Kolbe?

    This week, we'll focus on the example and words of the 20th century apostle of Marian consecration, St. Maximilian Kolbe. Kolbe knew well de Montfort's Marian teaching and spoke enthusiastically about it. In formulating his own expression of true devotion to Mary, he not only deepened several of de Montfort's insights but added many new ideas from his own contemplation of the mystery of Mary. Before we turn to his Marian teaching, let's first get to know the man.

    "Who are you, St. Maximilian Kolbe?"


    If we were to ask the saint this question in an interview, we might be disappointed, at least initially. With gentleness and humility, he would probably reply: "Now that question is not so important. What's really important is this one: 'Who are you, O Immaculate Conception?'" This answer shouldn't disappoint us if our goal in the interview were to get to know St. Maximilian, for his answer actually tells us a lot about him. In fact, one great passion of his life was to come to know the mystery of Mary, particularly as she revealed herself to St. Bernadette of Lourdes, "I am the Immaculate Conception." Why did she call herself "The Immaculate Conception?" Isn't her name Mary? Tomorrow, we'll begin to reflect on this intriguing mystery. Today, let's see what, in our hypothetical interview, Kolbe wouldn't have answered.

    Who is St. Maximilian Kolbe? He's known by many titles: Martyr of Charity, The Saint of Auschwitz, Founder of the Militia Immaculata, Apostle of Mary, and Patron Saint of the 20th Century. But before all this, he was just Raymond, Raymond Kolbe, who in 1894 was born into a poor, Polish farming family. And from the beginning, one wouldn't have guessed he'd eventually be a great saint. In fact, one day, his mother was so frustrated with his behavior that she yelled at him in exasperation: "Raymond, what will become of you?!" This shook the boy to the core. Filled with grief, he immediately turned to the Mother of God, asking her, "What will become of me?" Then he went to a church and repeated his question. The future saint recounted what happened next:

    Then the Virgin Mother appeared to me holding
    in her hands two crowns, one white and one red. She looked at me with love and she asked me if I would like to have them. The white meant that I would remain pure and red that I would be a martyr.

    I answered yes, I wanted them. Then the Virgin looked at me tenderly and disappeared.

    The white crown of purity came first. Raymond confirmed himself in it when, as Brother Maximilian, he professed religious vows, one of which was chastity. But his purity was not just of the body. For there's another kind of purity: purity of intention. A person practices purity of intention when he directs his thoughts, words, and actions not to himself or another creature but to a divine purpose or mission, and ultimately to God.

    Perhaps because of his natural intensity and passion, Kolbe felt a particularly strong desire to give himself to a specific mission or goal. One of his classmates in the minor seminary relates, "He often said that he desired to consecrate his entire life to a great idea." Kolbe's "great idea" eventually crystallized into what he called the "Militia Immaculata," which he started in 1917 with six of his fellow seminarians. The "M.I.," as they called it, truly was a "great idea," at least in the sense of its ambition. Its goal was nothing less than to bring the whole world to God through Christ under the generalship of Mary Immaculate, and to do so as quickly as possible. Fulfilling this mission through obedience to God's will, in union with Mary Immaculate, was Kolbe's entire concern — his pure intention — and he sacrificed everything for its accomplishment, which brings us to the red crown.

    In 1941, after decades of incredibly fruitful apostolic labors in Poland and Japan, Kolbe was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Before his arrest, his brother Franciscans had pleaded with him to go into hiding. He said he was grateful for their loving hearts but couldn't follow their advice. Later, he explained why, "I have a mission — the Immaculata has a mission to fulfill." That mission was accomplished on the eve of the feast of Mary's Assumption into heaven, when, after having volunteered to take the place of a prisoner condemned to starvation, the impatient Nazis finished Kolbe off with a lethal injection. Thus, St. Maximilian died a martyr of charity and received his second crown from his Immaculata.

    Today's Prayer:
    Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary.
    Make me pure in body and spirit and help me to die to myself.


    http://www.thedivinemercy.org/news/DAY-8-Who-are-you-St-Maximilian-Kolbe-6494
     
  13. Mario

    Mario Powers

    Remember, Mary is not outdone in generosity. She especially hears the prayers of those of us who have given her everything — including the value of all our good works — and she wants us to tell her of the people and intentions we hold in our hearts.

    The above words from Fr. Gaitley on Day 5 give me great encouragement! For example, if I'm praying for my brother who is far from the Faith I might do so as follows: O Jesus and Mary, Tim's mind is so clouded by addiction and New Age ideas. Open his heart to perceive your great love and tenderness toward him. Jesus, may your mercy restore him! O Mary, cover him with your Mantle and draw him back to the sacraments. Into your motherly care I entrust this and all of my petitions so that the Divine Will may be done. Amen!

    I hope this helps!

    Safe in the Refuge of the Immaculate Heart!
     
  14. madkatmomma

    madkatmomma New Member

     
  15. madkatmomma

    madkatmomma New Member

    This sure hits home with me, I have two daughters. They are wonderful women but very far from the church,and God. I'm going to trust hat Mary has your daughter in her arms and trust she will do the same for my girls!
     
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  16. PotatoSack

    PotatoSack Powers

    This is an understandable stumbling block for many people. What encourages me is how our Lady augments our prayers so they actually go further than if we prayed for a particular intention on our own. How much are they augmented? Doubled, tripled...who knows, maybe they are increased by 50 times or 100 times...we do have a generous God!

    I am encouraged as well because I have seen the fruits of our lady's works with my brother, who was a hard core atheist. I had spent most of my adult life worried about my brothers salvation. After many rosaries, there was no improvement. With my consecration, I told our mother, you got him. I will just give you my prayers. My brother died unexpectedly about 18 months ago. Amazing peace was put in my heart over his salvation. Nothing is guaranteed, but I received many signal graces that he was saved. My mother had an amazing experience as well, that confirmed this. Our Jesus is so amazing and merciful...do not hesitate to give his mother everything...she will take care of all of your intentions in the deepest places of your heart.
     
  17. PotatoSack

    PotatoSack Powers

    Here is something else that encourages me. So, all the divine mercy indulgences collected by myself over the years...those are no longer mine either. Per the consecration, all past works go to our mother. So, I asked our mother to give a divine mercy indulgence to a family member when they die. All of my immediate family should have a much quicker trip through purgatory with these undulgences! This gives me much joy!
     
  18. Sam

    Sam Powers

    True Devotion to Mary

    Ninth Day
    Imitation: Book 1, Chapter 13


    Fire tries iron, and temptation a just man. We often know not what we are able to do, but temptations discover what we are. Still, we must watch, especially in the beginning of temptation; for then the enemy is more easily overcome, if he be not suffered to enter the door of the mind, but is withstood upon the threshold the very moment he knocks. Whence a certain one has said "Resist beginnings; all too late the cure." When ills have gathered strength, by long delay, first there comes from the mind a simple thought; then a strong imagination, afterwards delight, and the evil motion and consent and so, little by little the fiend does gain entrance, when he is not resisted in the beginning. The longer anyone has been slothful in resisting, so much the weaker he becomes, daily in himself, and the enemy, so much the stronger in him. Some suffer grievous temptations in the beginning of their conversion, others in the end and others are troubled nearly their whole life. Some are very lightly tempted, according to the wisdom and the equity of the ordinance of God who weighs man's condition and merits, and pre-ordaineth all things for the salvation of His elect. We must not, therefore, despair when we are tempted, but the more fervently pray to God to help us in every tribulation: Who, of a truth, according to the sayings of St. Paul, will make such issue with the temptation, that we are able to sustain it.

    Let us then humble our souls under the hand of God in every temptation and tribulation, for the humble in spirit, He will save and exalt. In temptation and tribulations, it is proved what progress man has made; and there also is great merit, and virtue is made more manifest.

    Prayers
    Veni Creator Spiritus, Ave Maris Stella, Magnificat, Glory Be


    Prayers can be found in this sticky:
    http://motheofgod.com/threads/prayers-recited-during-st-louis-de-montforts-consecration.9040/

    St. Louis de Montfort - Total Consecration To Jesus Through Mary - Preliminary Twelve Days
     
    Marie-Lou likes this.
  19. Sam

    Sam Powers

    33 Days to Morning Glory

    DAY 9: Who are you, O Immaculate Conception? (Part One)


    Yesterday, when I mentioned St. Maximilian's arrest by the Gestapo, I left out a remarkable detail that will be important for today's reflection: Two hours before his arrest, the future saint penned the single most important theological reflection of his life. It was nothing less than the answer that had eluded him for so many years, the answer to the question he had pondered over and over from the earliest days of his religious life: "Who are you, O Immaculate Conception?" In today's reflection, we'll begin to unpack this remarkable document, but before we do, let's pause and say a silent prayer to the Immaculata, asking for the grace to receive Kolbe's wisdom.

    The document begins as follows:

    IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. These words fell from the lips of the Immaculata herself. Hence, they must tell us in the most precise and essential manner who she really is. ...


    Who then are you, O Immaculate Conception?

    Good question, but still no answer. Later in the document, Kolbe points out a simple but key point: At the apparitions in Lourdes, Mary didn't say to St. Bernadette "I was immaculately conceived" but rather "I am the Immaculate Conception." This seems to be a problem. After all, Mary was immaculately conceived. In other words, through a special grace from God, she was conceived in the womb of her mother, St. Anne, without any stain of original sin by the foreseen merits of her Son. So why does she speak so strangely? Why does she make the grace she received at her conception her very name? Doesn't this almost seem as if she were making herself divine? Clearly, Mary is not God. Kolbe wrestled with this apparent "divinity problem" for decades, and it led to the following solution.

    The Immaculate Conception is divine. But the one I'm talking about isn't Mary. It's the Holy Spirit. In other words, Kolbe believed there are two "Immaculate Conceptions": Mary and the Holy Spirit. Mary is the created Immaculate Conception and the Holy Spirit is the uncreated Immaculate Conception. In other words, before there was the created Immaculate Conception (Mary), for all eternity there is the uncreated Immaculate Conception, the One who for all eternity "springs" from God the Father and God the Son as an uncreated conception of Love and who is the "prototype of all the conceptions that multiply life throughout the whole universe." So, "the Father begets; the Son is begotten; the Spirit is the 'conception' that springs from their love."

    Now, the Holy Spirit is a "conception" in the sense of being the Life and Love that springs from the love of the Father and the Son — in some analogous way, there's the conception of children who "spring" from the love of husband and wife. The Holy Spirit is an "immaculate" conception because, being God, he is obviously without sin. And finally, the Holy Spirit is an "eternal, uncreated" conception because, again, he is God.

    Okay, so this covers Kolbe's teaching that the Holy Spirit is the Immaculate Conception, but why does Mary call herself by the same name? We'll leave this question for tomorrow.

    Today's Prayer:
    Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary.
    Unveil for me the meaning of the Immaculate
    Conception.


    http://www.thedivinemercy.org/news/DAY-9-Who-are-you-O-Immaculate-Conception-Part-One-6495
     
    Florida Panther, Marie-Lou and Indy like this.
  20. PotatoSack

    PotatoSack Powers

    I would like to thank Sam for helping out with these postings. I have now been hit with technical problems as my tablet keyboard has stopped working and I am still in the process of setting up the cheap laptop I just bought. I can still post with my tablet screen keyboard, but can not copy and paste the postings from that website. So thanks Sam...I hope to have the issue resolved soon.
     

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