Marian Consecration - Part III

Marian Consecration Part I is HERE and Part II is HERE.

The last few days before my Marian consecration was spent reviewing the lessons of the past 4 weeks. The book also reminded me of the duties I would be pledging to carry out and also the corresponding obligations Mary would take on in response. I liked it that it wasn’t all on me and it wasn’t all on Mary. We were doing this together, like mother and daughter.

A few days before the consecration I went to confession. I always find that a good confession facilitates an even more powerful experience of God working in my life, no matter what I am involved in. It’s like clearing a blocked pipe – everything runs more smoothly and efficiently after the junk is gone. Retreats, pilgrimages, teaching RCIA, praying for others, all of it is enriched and more effective after receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

I also needed a Miraculous Medal to wear as a sign of my consecration. Thankfully I already had one so on the day of the consecration I wore it and had my priest bless it.

Finally, the Big Day arrived! I was grateful that I had chosen January 1, the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, to be consecrated as it is a holy day of obligation. I went to Mass and immediately after I received Holy Communion, I prayed the Consecration Prayer. It was a more moving experience than I had anticipated.

The rest of 2016 was relatively uneventful though I did find new employment. I also participated in the Life in the Spirit seminars which I found tremendously rewarding. I would say that my consecration began to pave the way to fulfilling one of my lifelong dreams the following year, my pilgrimage to Lourdes. I’ll discuss that in another series of blog posts in the future.

Marian Consecration - Part II

So what is Marian consecration? Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word consecration literally means "association with the sacred". You can see why I was initially hesitant to take this on – it is serious stuff.

I decided to go ahead with it because for the first time in my life I had the time to reflect on the material in the book. I also felt I had matured sufficiently in the spiritual life to see this through to the end. It wouldn’t be my typical mode of "start strong and end with a thud."

The timing couldn’t have been better as it was nearly Advent. As the liturgical year moved forward in preparation for the celebration of the Nativity, and in anticipation of the eventual return of Jesus, Mother Mary and I would be travelling together in purpose and service.

Despite the gravity of this undertaking, Fr. Gaitley promised his book would be an easy and updated way to enter into the blessings of being consecrated to Mary, and it was. It only took a few minutes to prayerfully read the daily chapter. Sometimes I would journal my thoughts or write notes in the margins. Daily pondering bore spiritual fruit -  praying the rosary took on a deeper meaning,  the fullness of Mary’s free will became clearer, and the role of the Holy Spirit was even more dynamic than I had imagined. I also found this method of preparation worked well with my natural tendencies as I tend to get bored or tune out when reciting long prayers, which make up a portion of St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary. 

Before I knew it, Advent was over, and Christmas Day arrived. My consecration date was one week away.

Continue here…

Marian Consecration - Part I

I had just been laid off and the days at home were endless. After working steadily for 25 years the time lay heavy on my hands. It was mid-November so the days were getting shorter and darker. My employed friends were at work all day and my retired friends had their own things to do. I was lonely and depressed. 

Thankfully I had a friend who had a day off during the week so we decided to meet for breakfast. As I approached our table I saw she was reading a book. The cover seemed familiar. It turns out I had seen it displayed at the religious goods counter at church. It was 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael Gaitley. I was intrigued.

I had thought about making a Marian consecration before. I had tried to read St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary but the florid language put me off. I couldn’t make it past the first chapter. I was also wary of entering into a promise to the Mother of God that I might not be able to keep. I didn't  know how much Mary was going to require of me.

I asked my friend some questions about the process and she was very encouraging.  She gave me the book to flip through and I saw that the daily readings weren’t more than 2 or 3 pages long and they were written in Fr. Gaitley’s engaging and conversational style. As we talked about the preparation and subsequent consecration, I began to feel a sense of hope and excitement that I had not felt in a long time.

The book suggested following St. Louis’s advice to schedule the 33 days of preparation so they would end on the vigil (the evening before) of a Marian feast day. There was a handy chart to consult; the earliest I could start was Nov. 29 and I would be consecrated on January 1, Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. It sounded like a very good way to start 2016.

Click here to continue…

Inspired by Corrie ten Boom

How many times have I written, “when I returned to the Church,” – so many times! But it’s a story worth telling and there are many facets to it. There was even a particular Protestant writer that helped me come back to the Church. 

I spent Advent 2002 going to Mass every Sunday. I went to the Christmas Mass. And then…nothing. This was my typical cycle. Start strong, end with a thud. Then just before Lent 2003 began, the parish priest contacted me to ask what we were going to do about the decree of nullity for my first marriage, as I had not yet followed through with that.

Thus, began my search for my baptismal records (a long story), which led me to a Catholic Q&A forum, and also to my local public library. I didn’t know the parish had a library or I might have explored what they had to offer. In the end, I think I was meant to end up at the public library because I learned some important lessons there.

I found the religion section in the library and started looking for books with a Catholic theme. I found a biography of a Catholic priest who left the Church so he could get married. I also found an author who contributed to publications that didn’t promote authentic Catholic teaching, though I was ignorant of that at the time. During my search, I also came across the books of Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch woman who had been active in the resistance during World War II. She belonged to the Christian Reformed church but I was intrigued by the blurb on her book, The Hiding Place, as I was very interested in the experiences of those who had lived through the war, especially in Holland.

I read the entire book by the former Catholic priest. I was not impressed with his story and his abandonment of his vows. I read part of the book by the other Catholic author, whose name I am purposely withholding. Even with my lack of Catholic knowledge and experience, I could recognize the falsehoods he was perpetrating. I was disgusted. 

The book by Corrie ten Boom was the complete opposite. It completely captivated me in my search for truth. She wrote about Jesus like he was her personal friend, which he was.  He led her in her daily decisions and how she treated people. The bible was not a list of optional suggestions and platitudes, it was her life. She lived and breathed the word of God. I could trust her. She kept her eyes on Jesus, I needed to do the same.

That was my last trip to the public library for religious books. I found an online bookseller shortly after that and began to fill my shelves with orthodox materials. I spent a few more years on the Q&A forum but eventually, I had the basics down and I could trust my instincts regarding reading and viewing materials. I also ended up buying The Hiding Place so I could always have a copy of a Protestant book that made me a more faithful Catholic. I think Corrie would be OK with that. 😄