We should all consecrate ourselves to God... and we should most definitely consecrate our children to God! Religious parents never fail by devout prayer to consecrate their children to the divine service and love, both before and after their birth. (Butler) If you have never done this, it is time. Offer your children born and unborn to the service of God. They aren't ours anyway, they are His, we are merely weak instruments to train up our children in the Love of God. And we will be ridiculed for it. It never ceases to amaze me how far the spirit of the world and the spirit of the anti-family has penetrated in our society.
Consecration of ourselves to God is a total giving of ourselves in the service of God. This does not by any means mean that we are able to spend our lives in the church building on our knees but actually, that every act we do is either in the service of God.... or not. We are either totally in love with God... or not. We are either living for Him... or not. Turning our backs on God starts with the little things. Starts with each act of "I will not serve". In raising children this is an ever constant battle. And when we let our diligence down, the ever-prevelant nature of the beast is right there. It's right there waiting to devour. Devour our children. I see it constantly every day.
We must first have at least a simple yet real prayer life. I always laugh that our prayers center around food. We say our Morning Offering and Spiritual Communion before we say Grace at meals. We say the Angelus for Purity before we say Grace at meals. We say our Rosary and Night Prayers right after dinner/clean-up. I can tell it is getting near Advent, a time of penance because little practices have gotten a little sloppy. Taking time in meditation, family spiritual reading, personal spiritual reading just getting missed a bit here and there. Each little bit of sloppiness is turning ourselves bit-by-bit away from God. Holy Mother Church in her great Wisdom knew we needed these times of penance to tighten up the belt a bit. As I have been reading from Purgatory and from Hell for November I just can't get over how easy it is to get to Hell and how hard it is to get even into Purgatory. And don't be the fool who aims for Purgatory, aim only for Heaven and then be grateful if you get to Purgatory. It's not so easy. These souls in Purgatory are suffering intense pain for mere faults... others for sloppy venial sins, others for deliberate venial sins. We can never do too much to purify ourselves on this earth and do penance. Pray for compunction.
But that these may be accepted by him, we must first prepare the present he requires of us, that is, our hearts. They must be washed and cleansed in the sacred laver of Christ's adorable blood, by means of sincere compunction and penance; and all inordinate affections must be pared away by our perfectly renouncing in spirit, honours, riches, and pleasures, and being perfectly disengaged from creatures, and ready to do and suffer all for God, that we may be entirely his, and that neither the world nor pride, nor any irregular passion may have any place in us. (Butler)
It is here that I would like to mention the Consecration of Jesus Through Mary by St. Louis de Montefort. I would like you to seriously consider taking this consecration. But first be sure to read the book True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Louis de Montfort. If you truly want to purge yourself and purify yourself, this is, as St. Louis said, the "easy" way. And believe me you will learn more about yourself than you ever could have imagined and my, will you begin to be purged. The term I love best in this devotion is "Holy Slavery" or "Slave of Love". But do take it seriously, it takes on the form similar to a vow, a sacred promise to God. One line in St. Louis' book that really stuck out at me was the line where he talks about rare are the people who actually stick to this devotion. He sure knew how to tap into my pride! :D
I will write more about this at a later date. For today, let's consecrate all our little acts to the Lord, as Our Lady did, that even in the little things we will never turn our backs on the Lord.
Thank you! This post was just what I needed this morning. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Julie. With your good help and my baby steps, onward I go. Kay in WI
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful! And tradition has it that once little Mary placed her foot on the first step of the Temple, she never looked back! What a grace! And I, too, recommend the Consecration (and daily re-consecration) to Jesus through Mary.
ReplyDeleteLinda, What daily re-consecration prayer are you referring to? Just wondering if it is any of the prayers I say. I am eager to begin again. What is the date of yours?
ReplyDeleteBy the grace of God I celebrated my 11th anniversary on July 16th, and I use the De Montfort preparation each year. I'm told our Holy Father Pope John Paul II prayed the (long version) De Montfort prayer daily! I try to say that one on Marian Feast Days and 1st Saturdays--when I remember. Daily I use one my youngest learned in his 1st Communion class: Mary, my Queen and my Mother, I give myself entirely to you, and to show my devotion to you, I consecrate to you this day, my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve. Wherefore good mother, as I am your own, keep me, guard me as your property and possession. Amen
ReplyDelete(the priest would have the kids point to their eyes, ears, etc, :-)
I also used this year a new book, "33 Days to Morning Glory" by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC. He has lots of suggested consecration prayers and using his book provides a wonderful meditative "do-it-yourself" retreat to prepare for Marian Consecration--using reflections from St. L.De Montfort, St. M. Kolbe, Bl.Mother Teresa and Bl. John Paul II!
Julie, your blog is a great inspiration for me. Thank you!
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