Consecration to Mary

Celebrating the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

St. Anne, St. Joachim, and Mary (Public Domain)

On this day in the Liturgical Calender, the Church celebrates the great Marian Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Those who have consecrated everything they are and everything they have to Her, as well as those who have yet to make a solemn act of consecration to Jesus through Mary, must know that celebrating and reflecting upon this Feast of Mary’s Nativity is integral to a better understanding of that profound littleness and poverty of spirit which authentic Marian devotion ultimately leads us to.  For, it is precisely on this feast, which celebrates the “littleness” of our infant Mother Mary, that we learn from her the necessary virtues of littleness, humility,docility, meekness, obedience and silence – that constellation of virtues which the Lord finds so very pleasing, and which laid the foundation for the exalted role that Mary, as the New Eve, would play with her son, the New Adam, in the economy of salvation.  For, it is precisely through poverty of spirit, littleness, weakness, and the recognition of our radical dependence on God, a God Who not only loved us into existence, but, additionally, redeemed us from sin while we were still mired in sin, that the Spirit, the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is capable of working in those souls who, totally consecrated to Mary, are truly childlike.  For, as Christ states, “Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3). It is through the gift of our total consecration, or entrustment, to Mary that the Immaculate Mother of God, through whom the Holy Spirit has freely chosen to work, forms within our souls the image of the silent, obedient, meek, humble and crucified Christ.  Let us, for a moment, revisit the great Canticle of Mary, or the Magnificat (recited each day toward the end of Evening Prayer, by all bishops,  priests, deacons and religious of the Catholic Church, in the Liturgy of the Hours), in order to better comprehend not only Mary’s own reaction to the knowledge of the exalted role that she had been chosen by God to play in the economy of salvation, but additionally to understand that true poverty of spirit which she necessarily leads all of her clients and consecrated children to, provided they adhere to the dictates of her Motherly Heart and the solemn promises made to her via their total consecration: (more…)

Celebrating the Historical Feast of the “Espousal” of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 by Jayson M. Brunelle

While it may not be a very well-known fact, today, January 23, marks the commemoration of the espousal of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Joseph.  It is this author’s suggestion that Catholic Christians who have a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, especially those individuals who have made an act of total consecration to Mary, reconsider the significance of this day in light of the concept of Marian Consecration.

Many devout Catholics are well aware of the long-standing tradition and devotion of consecration to Mary.  St. Louis de Montfort and St. Maximilian Kolbe, in particular, stand out as two of the greatest advocates of this devotion.  De Montfort explains in his famed treatise on “True Devotion to Mary” that consecration to Mary is the easiest, quickest, shortest, most secure and most perfect way of attaining union with the Sacred Heart of Christ and conformity to His image.  In short, de Montfort explains that as Christians, we are called to imitate Christ in all things.  Thus, we are called to imitate Christ in the mysteries of his Incarnation and divine infancy by spiritually becoming little children and entrusting ourselves entirely to the care of our Spiritual Mother Mary.  For, how can Mary, as Spiritual Mother, nourish a child who puts up resistance to her?  We must become docile in her arms, and allow her to nourish us with the milk of divine grace or spiritual life.  (more…)

The Effects of Marian Consecration

by Jayson M. Brunelle

Marian Consecration brings about a radical transformation within the soul, provided the client of Mary is co-operating with Mary’s will (It is not theologically incorrect to speak of conformity to Mary’s will, as Her will is perfectly united with the Divine Will of the Father, and God has chosen to be dependent on her for the distribution of all His graces to humanity).  Moreover, we can speak explicitly of total consecration to Mary, as she is always a proximate end to the ultimate end of conformity to the Will of Christ.  Yes, it is true that there is one mediator between the Father and humanity, and that divine Person is Jesus Christ, 100% human and 100% divine, who began the reconciliation of God with humanity at the pivotal moment of His Incarnation, and completed that reconciliation on the cross, where He offered, once for all, the perfect sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God. (more…)