ADVENT RETREAT WITH JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH | DAY 2

Meditate on My Consecration to Jesus Through Mary

By St. Louis de Montfort

(Continuation)

IV. Fourth Paragraph

“In the presence of all the heavenly court I choose thee this day for my Mother and I deliver and consecrate to thee, 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.“

A. “Mother and Queen” – Child 
B. “Consecrate to thee interior and exterior goods.”
C. “Greater Glory of God” – Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

V. Fifth Paragraph

“Receive, O benignant Virgin, this little offering of my service and devotion, 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 servant, to seek thy honor and to obey thee in all things.”

A. “To seek thy honor”
B. “Obey thee in all things”

 C. The word “ servant”

1. Juan Diego —– The ever-glorious Virgin courteously answered, “Listen, my little one, know for certain that my servants are not few, messengers with whom I could send my word, who would carry out my will. However, it is imperative that you be the one, that it happen through your intervention. And I beg you, my dear son, and I command you.”

2. Sister Lucy —– “No, my daughter. Are you suffering a great deal? Don’t lose heart. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead to God.”

3. Sister Agnes.  “My dear daughter”

4. Our goal: Our Lady’s goal —– John 15:5 – “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”

VI. Sixth Paragraph
“… 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 these whom thou lovest and teachest, whom thou leadest, nourishest and protectest as thy children and servants.

A. “By thee receive me.” 
B. Mother of Mercy

1. Love
2. Teach
3. Lead
4. Nourish
5. Protect

VII. Seventh Paragraph

“O faithful Virgin, make me in all things so perfect a disciple, imitator and servant of the Incarnate Wisdom, Jesus Christ thy Son, that I may attain, by thine intercession and thine example, to the fullness of His age on earth and of His glory in Heaven. Amen.”

A. “Make me” with the help of the Holy Spirit

1. Disciple
2. Imitator
3. Servant
4. Friend

 

MARY’S HEART AND THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

To comprehend the very meaning, profundity, sublimity, simplicity and depths of the Christmas event, why not lift our minds, hearts, and souls to Mary, who is truly the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and also the Mother of each one of us in an individual, intimate, and very personal way.

Who better than Mary can help us to penetrate the depths and authentic meaning of Christmas? But how often, if ever, have we run to Mary begging, and truly begging, for the grace to comprehend the height, the length and the depths of Christmas? Indeed, many extraordinary graces are at our disposal depending on one simple thing: our begging for these graces in prayer to Mary. She is the Mediatrix of all graces—meaning that God in His Divine Providence and in the economy of salvation has willingly chosen Mary as the vessel through which graces flow into our spiritual lives.

Therefore, we offer you humbly for your meditation and contemplation these simple but profound ideas so that through Mary, Christmas—the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, will be born in the very depths of your heart. “Come, Lord Jesus, come through the Heart of Mary your Mother!”

1. MARY’S YES CHANGED THE WORLD. With heartfelt gratitude and overflowing love imbued with humility, we should thank Mary for having given her consent to the Archangel Gabriel with the words: “Behold, I am the hand maid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” (Lk. 1:38) Consequently: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (from The Angelus prayer) Indeed, Mary’s YES resulted in the Incarnation of the Word of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. Whereupon Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit (Shekinah—In Hebrew) and Jesus entered into her womb for the salvation of the entire world. It would be impossible to express adequately the gratitude that we owe to Mary for her YES to God; it was for your and my own eternal salvation!!!

2. MARY AS THE MODEL OF TRUE MATERNITY—WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MOTHER.  Mary teaches by her most powerful example the sublime dignity of womanhood, most specifically in the sublime dignity and vocation of Motherhood. Women who are called to be Mothers—what a sublime vocation indeed—should humbly turn to Mary for guidance, help, support, and consolation in carrying out this exalted mission given to them by God. Of all the titles that are given to Mary, that of Mother of God (Theotokus—God bearer, in Greek) is by far the most sublime.

3. MARY: THE MODEL OF EUCHARISTIC ADORATION—CORPUS CHRISTI! Upon hearing the Good News of her elderly cousin Elizabeth’s conception, in haste and with great joy, Mary travels about 90 miles into the hill-country to visit her pregnant-elderly cousin to render her service. During the entire distance from Nazareth to Ain-Karim (the residence of Elizabeth) Mary was a living Eucharistic Procession, if you like a Corpus-Christi Procession. She carried Jesus within her womb and the whole of the hill-country was blessed and sanctified by her presence and the presence of Jesus within her. Mary as model and teacher shows us how we are called to worship Jesus in the Consecrated Host— “O come, let us adore Him; O come, let us adore Him; O come, let us adore Him, our Eucharistic Lord!”

4. MARY, JOSEPH AND THE LAW OF SACRIFICE. The time has arrived for Mary to bring forth her Child—the Lord Jesus, Savior of the world. However, an edict has been issued by Caesar Augustus that all have to be enrolled in their town of origin. Despite Mary’s pregnancy that had arrived at nine-months, she still had to make this long, tiring, grueling trip to the city of Bethlehem, the city of their ancestor, King David. Without questioning, complaining, or wasting time, Mary and the Baby Jesus within her womb, and Saint Joseph set off on their journey to Bethlehem. What a powerful lesson they teach us! Obedience, patience, fortitude, trust in God, penance and mortification, sacrifice, and most especially, a true love for carrying out the Will of the Eternal Father—all of these lessons in virtue Mary presents to us for our imitation!

5. REJECTIONS. Upon their arrival in Bethlehem, undoubtedly exhausted, cold, hungry, drained physically and emotionally, they are hoping at least to find lodging for the night, nothing luxurious, simply a roof over their heads to shelter them from the cold wind and possible precipitation. Not so: it never happens! Among the saddest words ever written are these: “There was no place for them in the Inn!” There is immense amount of material for our own meditation in these very likely, multiple rejections. These few we offer. Despite the rejection that Mary and Joseph receive, they never give into resentment. What about you and me? How do you react to rejection? Most likely in a very human way: anger, resentment, bitterness, even perhaps a desire to seek revenge! Next, a very painful but necessary question: how often have we imitated the Inn-keepers by rejecting God? Among the many definitions for sin is that of Rejecting God! Our firm purpose right now should be the following: “Yes, definitely Yes! There is room for you, Lord Jesus, Mary, and Saint Joseph in the Inn of my heart and soul!”

6. THE CONDITION OF THE STABLE OF BETHELHEM. The rejections lead to the eventual discovery of some forlorn, obscure, poor cave that serves as a refuge for animals in inclement weather conditions. We call it the stable of Bethlehem. What are some of the qualities of the condition of this Stable of Bethlehem where the Creator of the world is to be born? Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen comments: “The Creator of the universe had no place to be born in His own creation.” Cold, damp, humid, musty, dark, dirty, hard and foul smelling (from the animals and their leavings)—all of these descriptions and more describe the atmosphere or milieu where the Savior of the world chooses to be born through the consent of the Virgin Mary—His Mother and our Mother. All these descriptive words can easily be applied to the state of our soul and the reality of sin in our own interior caves. Coldness, darkness, foul-smell, and hardness— all too often reflect the interior state of our soul. May the Infant Jesus attain for us a true conversion of heart!

7. POVERTY AND DETACHMENT FROM THE SLAVE OF MATERIALISM. A more clear and challenging message cannot be presented to our eyes and heart for meditation. How easy it is for us to become true slaves of the material world that surrounds us, that envelops us, that enthralls us, that captivates us, that allures and seduces us into believing that things can make us truly happy. The birth of the Infant Jesus in Bethlehem from the Virgin Mary, with Saint Joseph present at all times, is a clarion call to each one of us to seek our true happiness in the Creator over the creature, in the spiritual over the material, in persons over things, in a desire for Heaven over pursuing worldly happiness that never fully satisfies. The words of Jesus resound powerfully: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will be given to you beside.” (Mt. 6:33)

8. BETHLEHEM: THE HOUSE OF BREAD! The authentic interpretation of Bethlehem is that of House of Bread! How appropriate and how rich in symbolism—better yet, Sacramental-symbolism! One of the most important discourses that Jesus gives in His Public life is in the synagogue of Capernaum, known as the Bread of Life discourse. A brief summary of that discourse are these words of Jesus: “I am the Bread of Life; whoever eats my body and drinks my blood will have everlasting life and I will raise him up on the last day.” (Jn. 6:53) What a profound and beautiful parallel! Jesus, born in Bethlehem, in the House of Bread, will later preach the most sublime teaching on His identity in the Sacrament of the Eucharist by declaring Himself the true Bread of Life that came down from Heaven. “Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (Jn. 6:51) May we have an insatiable hunger and thirst for this Bread of Life.

9. CONTEMPLATE THE INFANT JESUS IN THE ARMS OF MARY. Spend some time in profound contemplation seeing the Infant Jesus in the arms of Mary, His Mother. Then contemplate the Infant Jesus in the arms of Good Saint Joseph. Now it is your time. Mary turns to you and very gently places the new-born Infant Jesus in your arms. Hold Him close to your heart and tell Him how much you truly love Him and how you want your love for Him to grow and grow! In truth, if you desire it, this can happen every time you receive Holy Communion worthily—the Infant Baby Jesus is now present in the Bethlehem of your heart: O come, let us adore Him! Remember, the Eucharist is the total Jesus – the new-born Infant, the Boy lost in the Temple, the Teen working as a carpenter alongside Saint Joseph, the Iterant Preacher and Miracle Worker who had no place to lay His head at night, the Suffering Servant on the Cross giving His life to give us life, life in abundance, life eternal!

10. SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT, NIGHT OF PEACE. In silent, contemplative, profound, and if possible, extended prayer be present to the Holy Family—the Infant Jesus, Mary, and Saint Joseph in this time of the birth of Our Savior. Contemplate the Infant Jesus in silence through the eyes and Immaculate Heart of Mary. Allow the Holy Spirit to move your heart to express these most noble sentiments: overflowing gratitude, joy, praise and adoration, humble reparation, awe and wonder, but most especially great love! For, “God so loved the world that He sent His only-begotten Son, that those who believe in Him may not die but have eternal life.” (Jn. 3:16) Jesus, Son of Mary, may you be born every day in the very depths of my interior Bethlehem. Come, Lord Jesus, come through the Heart of Mary!

Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA