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The Virgin Mary

“Behold thy Mother”
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“Mary is the fruitful Virgin, and in all the souls in which she comes to dwell she causes to flourish purity of heart and body, rightness of intention and abundance of good works. Do not imagine that Mary, the most fruitful of creatures who gave birth to a God, remains barren in a faithful soul. It will be she who makes the soul live incessantly for Jesus Christ, and will make Jesus live in the soul.” – St. Louis de Montfort

Why is May the Month of Mary?

This Christian custom of dedicating the month of May to the Blessed Virgin arose at the end of the 13th century. In this way, the Church was able to Christianize the secular feasts which tended take place at that time.  The practice became especially popular among the members of the Jesuit Order — by 1700 it took hold among their students at the Roman College and a bit later it was publicly practiced in the Gesu Church in Rome. From there it spread to the whole Church.

In May of 2002 Pope John Paul II said, “Today we begin the month dedicated to Our Lady a favourite of popular devotion. In accord with a long-standing tradition of devotion, parishes and families continue to make the month of May a ‘Marian’ month, celebrating it with many devout liturgical, catechetical and pastoral initiatives!”

For May, give Mary a special spot in your prayer corner. It can be a statue or picture, but place there some representation of our Blessed Mother. Make it appealing and a real tribute to her beauty and virtue.

Pray the Rosary

The rosary is the privileged place of encounter with Jesus Christ through the guidance of Mary.  Just as at the Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2:1-11), Mary brings the servants to encounter her son Jesus and encourages them by saying “Do whatever he tells you.” So too, in the rosary, Mary leads us to her son through meditation on the Word of God and encourages us to grow in discipleship by following Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection.  In this way the rosary leads us in praying with the Word of God and entering into the deep mysteries of salvation. The more you know and pray the Word of God in Scripture the more you will be able to connect with the power of the rosary. Each mystery is an opportunity to be led by Mary closer to the heart of God the Father.  The rosary also offers a form of meditation that when applied to our lives leads us to inner healing and true freedom, which are the work of the Holy Spirit. The rosary is heavenly medicine, an antidote that draws the poison of sin and vice out of our hearts and makes room for the healing power of God.

Mary is unique in all creation in that she is daughter of God the Father, spouse of the Holy Spirit, and mother of Jesus Christ our savior.  Through the rosary we have the opportunity to experience a relationship with the Blessed Trinity through meditation on the mysteries and by Our Lady’s intercession.

Learn to pray the rosary with one of these guides:

How to Pray the Rosary – English How to Pray the Rosary – Spanish

 

MAKING A PERSONAL CONSECRATION TO JESUS THRU MARY

Consecration means “to make holy.” When one makes an act of consecration, it is made ultimately to God with the understanding that our consecration is a serious commitment on our part to respond faithfully to God’s grace at work in our lives. Marian consecration is the act of entrusting one’s body, soul, possessions, works, and entire life to the protection, guidance, and intercession of Our Lady.  The act of entrusting oneself to Mary’s care and intercession is nothing new. Jesus Himself entrusted His beloved disciple, John, to Mary while He was on the Cross (John 19:26-27).

Pope John Paul II explained, “Consecrating ourselves to Mary means accepting her help to offer ourselves and the whole of mankind to him who is holy, infinitely holy; it means accepting her help—by having recourse to her motherly heart, which beneath the cross was opened to love for every human being, for the whole world—in order to offer the world, the individual human being, mankind as a whole, and all the nations to him who is infinitely holy” (May 13, 1982).

TRUE DEVOTION TO MARY – ST. LOUIS DE MONTFORT
by Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort (Author), Frederick William Faber (Translator)

Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort was born in Brittany, France on January 31, 1673. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1700 and distinguished himself by his zeal and missionary work. An ardent devotee of Our Lady, he preached Mary Everywhere. In his Treatise on The True Devotion to Mary he fervently advocates the path taken by the God-man for our redemption as our path to holiness. “To Jesus through Mary” became his motto and total consecration as slaves of love to Mary became his means. In this edition of Fr. Fredrick William Faber’s English translation of de Montfort’s Treatise meticulous care has been taken to preserve it in its original form. Thus, the English spelling and word syntax of the text – the Saint author’s extensive Latin quotations and the translator’s faithful English counterparts, have all been most carefully maintained. For the the sake of clarity the text has been divided up into chapters, while subtitles and layout techniques have been employed for the sake of presentation.

 

33 DAYS TO MORNING GLORY – FR. MICHAEL GAITLEY
33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat In Preparation for Marian Consecration

From Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, comes an extraordinary 33-day journey to Marian consecration with four giants of Marian spirituality: St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Blessed Pope John Paul II. Father Michael masterfully summarizes their teaching, weaving their thoughts into a user-friendly, do-it-yourself retreat that will bless even the busiest of people.

 

 

MARY’S MANTLE CONSECRATION – CHRISTINE WATKINS
Mary’s Mantle Consecration: A Spiritual Retreat for Heaven’s Help by Christine Watkins

Mary’s Mantle Consecration comes to us in tumultuous times. Today it is important that we consecrate ourselves to the Mother of God—entrusting our lives to her protection, guidance, and care, and inviting her to conform us to the likeness of her Son. There is so much need and brokenness in the world, in the Church, in our families, and in our hearts. By preparing for consecration through the power of the Rosary, a little fasting, and a two-minute reading of a beautiful daily meditation on a virtue or gift of the Holy Spirit (people’s favorite part), we can expect heaven’s help.

This retreat is perfect for individuals, couples, families, groups and parishes. To dive even deeper into God’s graces, a companion workbook, Mary’s Mantle Consecration Prayer Journal, also offers quotes from saints, passages of Scripture, and insightful questions for reflection. Are you willing to do your part and give God a chance?

 

MARIAN CONSECRATION FOR CHILDREN – CARRIE GRESS

In this enchanting book, Dr. Carrie Gress, author of The Marian Option, provides a fun and thrilling way for children to participate in this centuries-old practice. In just a matter of weeks, they will come to know Mary as they never have before. They will allow her to take their hand and lead them to Christ.

Gress weaves in tales of saints, kings, queens, knights, and princesses as a way to teach children about virtue, courage, and their spiritual mother who loves them. In addition, she draws valuable spiritual lessons from contemporary stories such as The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Winnie the Pooh, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and many other fables and fairy tales that have brought children’s imaginations to life for decades.

Divided into 34 days, Marian Consecration for Children includes a short meditation for each day and accompanying discussion questions. Each day concludes with prayers and a “Did You Know?” feature that delivers fun and interesting facts.

MARIAN CONSECRATION FAMILY ADVENTURE – HOLY HEROES

While Marian Consecrations are often done by adults this was created for the family as a way to bring this beautiful practice of dedication to Jesus through Mary into YOUR home.

Families will find it to be:

  • Easy (we know how busy family life is!)
  • Straightforward (uncomplicated and not confusing…which they can be, we know)
  • Kid-friendly (but not “dumbed down”–kids want and need the full wonder of the Faith!)
  • Family-focused (to keep everybody on track day-by-day)
  • I guess a Catholic school could also do this with an entire classroom! That would be so inspiring for the children!

To learn more on how to begin this journey as a family at NO COST visit  https://www.holyheroes.com/Mary-s/154.htm

Home Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Enthronement of our homes to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and their consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary are an excellent means of sanctifying, protecting, enhancing and preserving marriage and family life.

This devotion was prompted by the Sacred Heart of Jesus Himself. It renders Jesus our King and the Immaculate Heart of Mary our Queen. When we enthrone the Sacred Heart of Jesus as King and Head of our home we are turning our lives and hearts over to Him, confident that He will bless, guide and protect us always. Our Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary acknowledges her as our spiritual Mother and implores her to extend her mantle of love, comfort and protection over us and to lead us into a deeper relationship with her Son. Enthroned homes become domestic churches in which Jesus and Mary are participants in the everyday lives of all members of our families. The sanctification of daily duty – that most fundamental call of Our Lady of Fatima – is much easier to achieve in such an environment.

For more on how to Enthrone your Home please visit https://www.bluearmy.com/home-enthronement/

Family Consecration to Jesus, through Mary, with St. Joseph

Family Consecration is a practical way to intentionally live your baptismal consecration (promises) and grow in union with God, as a family. Through Baptism, we become children of God, called to eternal life with Him in Heaven. But to grow in union with God, we must choose to live for Him.

With Family Consecration, your family can renew your baptismal commitment by making an act of consecration to the Holy Family. This act of consecration is a deliberate choice to follow Jesus Christ more fully, with the help of Mary and Joseph, and to set your family apart for God.

Then, taking the Holy Family as your model, each family member seeks to lead a life that gives glory to God.

To Learn More about how to Consecrate your Family visit https://afc.org/family-consecration/

Consecration to St. Joseph

Drawing on the wealth of the Church’s living tradition, Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, calls on all of us to turn to St. Joseph, entrust ourselves, our Church, and our world to our spiritual father’s loving care, and then watch for wonders when the Universal Patron of the Church opens the floodgates of Heaven to pour out graces into our lives today. Definitely a book for our time, Consecration to St. Joseph is dedicated to meeting the challenges of the present moment and restoring order to our Church and our world, all through the potent paternal intercession and care of St. Joseph. This book has everything you need to take your love and devotion to St. Joseph to a whole different level: a thorough program of consecration to St. Joseph; information on the 10 wonders of St. Joseph; and prayers and devotions to St. Joseph. Accessible, motivating, this book will kick off a great movement of consecration to our spiritual father and change the world.