33 CONSECRATION PREPARATION TO JESUS THROUGH MARY
Day 34 Day of Consecration
On
the day of consecration, either fast, give alms, or offer a votive candle for
the good of another (or all of the above); do some spiritual penance and
approach consecration in the spirit of mortification.
Now
go to Confession (or, if that is not possible, go during the 8 days prior) and
then receive Communion with the intention of giving yourself to Jesus, as a
slave of love, by the hands of Mary.
Now pray the words of the consecration.
Act of Consecration
O Eternal and incarnate Wisdom! O sweetest
and most adorable Jesus! True God and true man, only Son of the Eternal Father,
and of Mary, always virgin! I adore Thee profoundly in the bosom and splendors
of Thy Father during eternity; and I adore Thee also in the virginal bosom of
Mary, Thy most worthy Mother, in the time of Thine incarnation.
I give Thee thanks for that Thou hast
annihilated Thyself, taking the form of a slave in order to rescue me from the
cruel slavery of the devil. I praise and glorify Thee for that Thou hast been
pleased to submit Thyself to Mary, Thy holy Mother, in all things, in order to
make me Thy faithful slave through her. But, alas! Ungrateful and faithless as
I have been, I have not kept the promises which I made so solemnly to Thee in
my Baptism; I have not fulfilled my obligations; I do not deserve to be called
Thy child, nor yet Thy slave; and as there is nothing in me which does not
merit Thine anger and Thy repulse, I dare not come by myself before Thy most
holy and august Majesty. It is on this account that I have recourse to the
intercession of Thy most holy Mother, whom Thou hast given me for a mediatrix
with Thee. It is through her that I hope to obtain of Thee contrition, the
pardon of my sins, and the acquisition and preservation of wisdom.
Hail, then, O immaculate Mary, living
tabernacle of the Divinity, where the Eternal Wisdom willed to be hidden and to
be adored by angels and by men! Hail, O Queen of Heaven and earth, to whose
empire everything is subject which is under God. Hail, O sure refuge of
sinners, whose mercy fails no one. Hear the desires which I have of the Divine
Wisdom; and for that end receive the vows and offerings which in my lowliness I
present to thee.
I, N_____, a faithless sinner, renew and
ratify today in thy hands the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his
pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate
Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more
faithful to Him than I have ever been before. In the presence of all the
heavenly court I choose thee this day for my Mother and Mistress. I deliver and
consecrate to thee, as thy slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and
exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present and future;
leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me, and all that
belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the
greater glory of God in time and in eternity.
Receive, O benignant Virgin, this little
offering of my slavery, in honor of, and in union with, that subjection which
the Eternal Wisdom deigned to have to thy maternity; in homage to the power
which both of you have over this poor sinner, and in thanksgiving for the
privileges with which the Holy Trinity has favored thee. I declare that I wish
henceforth, as thy true slave, to seek thy honor and to obey thee in all
things.
O admirable Mother, present me to thy dear
Son as His eternal slave, so that as He has redeemed me by thee, by thee He may
receive me! O Mother of mercy, grant me the grace to obtain the true Wisdom of
God; and for that end receive me among those whom thou lovest and teachest,
whom thou leadest, nourishest and protectest as thy children and thy slaves.
O faithful Virgin, make me in all things so
perfect a disciple, imitator and slave of the Incarnate Wisdom, Jesus Christ
thy Son, that I may attain, by thine intercession and by thine example, to the
fullness of His age on earth and of His glory in Heaven. Amen.
After Consecration
Once
you have consecrated yourself to Jesus through Mary, live that consecration.
St. Louis-Marie de Montfort recommended the following:
• Keep praying to develop a "great
contempt" for the spirit of this world
• Maintain a special devotion to the Mystery
of the Incarnation (e.g., through meditation; spiritual reading; focusing on
Feasts centering around the Incarnation, such as the Annunciation and the
Nativity, etc.)
• Frequently recite the Ave, Rosary, and the
Magnificat
• Recite, every day if it is not inconvenient,
the "Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin" -- a series of Paters, Aves,
and Glorias -- one Ave for each star in the Virgin's Crown. St. Louis has a
special way of praying the Little Crown, which is recommended.
• Do everything through, with, in and for Mary
for the sake of Jesus, with the prayer, "I am all thine Immaculate One,
with all that I have: in time and in eternity" in your heart and on your
lips
• Associate yourself with Mary in a special
way before, during, and after Communion
• Wear a little iron chain (around the neck,
arm, waist, or ankle) as an outward sign and reminder of holy slavery. This
practice is optional, but very recommended by St. Louis. The appearance of this
chain is not further specified.
• Renew the consecration once a year and by
following the same 33-day period of exercises. If desired, also renew the
consecration monthly with the prayer, "I am all thine and all I have is
thine, O dear Jesus, through Mary, Thy holy Mother."
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