PART ONE: LISTEN TO RETREAT TALK ON FACEBOOK FORUM WITH FR. LARRY AND FR. ED
PART TWO: MEDITATE ON MY CONSECRATION TO JESUS THROUGH MARY BY FR. LARRY DARNELL, OMV
PART THREE: MARY IS TRULY OUR LOVING MOTHER BY FR. ED BROOM, OMV
Meditate on My Consecration to Jesus Through Mary
By St. Louis de Montfort
To ask you to join me and apply it to yourselves. I choose three paragraphs for today.
It is on this account that I have recourse to the intercession of Thy holy Mother, whom Thou has 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.
- “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.
- Wisdom – knowledge of the will of God. The desire to do it, the strength and grace to do it.
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.
- “Divine Wisdom”, Christ Himself
- 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.”
I, (Name) ____________________, 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 before.
- “The works and pomps of Satan.” What are they? They are how he lays snares for men and bind them with chains. First, they are to tempt them to covet riches (as Satan himself is accustomed to do in most cases) that they may the more easily attain the empty honors of this world, and then come to overweening pride.
The first step, then, will be riches, the second honor, the third pride. From these three steps the evil one leads to all other vices.
- “To give myself entirely to Christ.” What does this mean? This is not a matter only of disposing oneself to hear a teaching and obediently accepting a commandment. More radically, it involves holding fast to the very person of Jesus, partaking of his life and destiny, sharing in his free and loving obedience to the will of the Father.
- I renew and ratify not only my vows of Baptism but also my vows of
- Religious Life – Poverty, Chastity, Obedience
- Priesthood – Obey the Bishop, Maintain celibacy, Imitate what I preach.
- “It is the same priest, Christ Jesus, whose sacred person his minister truly represents.”
- You can renew your vows of Matrimony.
- Unity and indissolubility, Fidelity of conjugal love, Openness to fertility, Responsibility to educate children
- Acceptance of a different situation.
- Chastity
- Single Parent
- Vocation to a single life
MARY IS TRULY OUR LOVING MOTHER by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
Saint Therese of Lisieux, a young Carmelite saint who died at the tender age of 24 years, loved the Blessed Virgin Mary very much and she was known to have said: “It is true that Our Lady is Queen of Heaven and earth, but at the same time she is more Mother than Queen.” This is the wonderful topic that we would like to address in this short exposition on the Blessed Virgin Mary, “God’s Masterpiece of Creation.” (Saint Louis de Montfort)
MARY AS MOTHER. In all truth it can be asserted that Mary is indeed the Mother of God. Mary is also the Mother of the Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ. But of great importance to each and every one of us, Mary is our own loving Mother.
MARY’S TITLES AND PRIVILEGES. Mary indeed has many titles, for example, Mystical Rose, Tower of David, Tower of Ivory, Ark of the Covenant, Virgin most pure, Virgin most holy, Gate of Heaven, Morning Star, and many other poetic, mystical, as well as Biblical titles. Nonetheless, of all the titles and privileges that can rightly be given to Mary, the greatest of all of these is this: MARY IS THE MOTHER OF GOD!
MARIAN DOGMAS. Up to this point, the Church has officially declared four Marian dogmas, a truth revealed by God through the Church that must be accepted. They are: Mary’s Immaculate Conception, Mary’s Divine Maternity, Mary’s Perpetual Virginity, and finally, Mary’s Assumption into heaven. Of these sublime Marian privileges or Marian dogmas, the greatest and most sublime is Mary’s Divine Maternity—which means that Mary was chosen by God to be His Mother; Mary is truly the Mother of God. This we celebrate every year on Christmas, as well as to start off the New Year on January 1st.
MARY AS MOTHER: THE ROLE OF A MOTHER. On a natural plane, a mother has these basic qualities. First and foremost, the nature of a mother is to give birth or give life to the child that she has nurtured in her womb. Second, a mother nurtures the child first within her womb, and then as her little child. Third, a mother is intent upon clothing her child, so as to protect them from the cold and from sickness. Fourth, a mother is always watchful to protect her child from danger and the possibility of getting hurt. Fifth, a mother is intent upon educating her child and in many ways: physically, intellectually, morally, and spiritually. Sixth, a mother will treat her child’s wounds after they have fallen and scraped their knee, kissing the wound for quick healing. Seventh, a mother listens to her child whenever they want to open up and express what is in the depths of their heart. Eighth, a mother has the courage to correct her child when her child has made some error or is moving in a dangerous direction. Ninth, a true mother comforts her child by her warmth, tenderness, concern, compassion, and loving care. Tenth and finally, the most important and characteristic note of an authentic mother is that she loves her child. It is a love without limits, irrespective of where the child is and what the child has done—her love is vast as the ocean! All of these maternal qualities can be attributed to Mary our Mother on a higher and more sublime plane. Let us now look at these motherly attributes and apply them to Mary as our Heavenly Mother.
1. MARY AS MOTHER GIVES LIFE. Mary is the full of grace from the very moment of her Immaculate Conception in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne. Grace is the supernatural life of the soul. Mary prays for us so that we will attain grace beginning with our Baptism; she prays for us so that this grace will grow and abound during our entire life; finally, she prays for us to have the grace of all graces, and that is to die in the state of grace, so that we will be saved for all eternity. Mary, my Mother, attain for me life and life in abundance!
2. MARY AS MOTHER NURTURES OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE. Through a fervent prayer life in which we speak often and confidently to Mary, our loving Mother, she attains for us growth in our spiritual life. Once again, Mary, the full of grace, attains for us special insights in our intellect and touches of grace in our soul, so that we may grow and flourish like a healthy tree growing alongside an abundant and gushing stream.
3. MARY AS MOTHER HELPS TO CLOTHE US. Adam and Eve, after committing the Original Sin, recognized their nakedness. On a spiritual plane, when we are imbued with sanctifying grace through Baptism, we are spiritually clothed with the most exquisite garment. Mary as our Mother prays for us that we will always be clothed with this garment of grace, and if we lose it due to mortal sin, Mary as our Mother prays for us so that we will recover grace through a good Sacramental Confession as soon as possible.
4. MARY AS MOTHER WATCHES OVER HER CHILDREN TO PROTECT THEM. Mary as Mother is keenly aware of the many dangers that her children are exposed to from within and from without. The devil, the flesh, and the world are in constant pursuit of our attention, as well as our soul. Mary as Mother has her careful, attentive, and watchful eye gazing upon us with love, and she warns us through grace and through inspirations of the dangers that encroach upon us.
5. MARY AS MOTHER EDUCATES US. As a good mother strives to provide a good education for her children, so does Mary. Father Robert Fox, a true expert on Our Lady, most especially Our Lady of Fatima, pointed out that Our Lady of Fatima came in a very special way as TEACHER!!! The words and messages of Our Lady of Fatima turn out to be a superb and excellent teaching, an excellent catechism, a clear and poignant signpost on how to arrive at what is most important—our eternal salvation. Jesus and Mary are the best of Teachers, let us listen to them and obey their advice!
6. MARY AS MOTHER HEALS HER WOUNDED CHILDREN. When a child falls off a bike into a mud-puddle and cuts their knee, the mother is the first one to run and succor the child. Lifting the child out of the mud, kissing the child, embracing the child, cleansing the child and changing their clothes, dressing the child’s wound, and finally giving the child some hot chocolate—these are all gestures of a loving mother. When we are wounded, Mother Mary comes to us speaking words of comfort: Do not worry… I am here to bring you healing. We should bring our gaping wounds to both Jesus, the Wounded-Healer, and Mary, Mother of Jesus the Wounded Healer!
7. MARY AS MOTHER LISTENS TO US. A true mother is ready to listen to what is in the heart of her child. On a much loftier plane, Mary as our Mother is always ready to listen to us, to respond to our problems, to help us in our needs. The beauty of Mary as LISTENER is the simple but all-consoling fact that Mary is never too tired, occupied, absorbed, or if you like, too busy to listen to us when we want to talk to her. We should get in the habit of talking to Mary as often as our heart desires. Mary’s ears are always attentive to the supplications of her children. Moreover, not only does Mary listen to us with her ears, but also with her Immaculate Heart, and she understands us perfectly!
8. MARY AS MOTHER CORRECTS HER WANDERING CHILDREN. A loving mother is not bashful or slow to correct an errant child. If there is a wandering and hungry wolf outside, the mother will keep her child inside and lock the door, especially if that child is curious and tends to wander. Fraternal Correction indeed is a dimension of the theological virtue of charity, which Saint Thomas Aquinas defines as: “Charity is willing the good of the other.” An example of Mary correcting her children is, again, in the Fatima messages. Mother Mary warned that most souls are lost due to sins of the flesh, and that many souls are lost due to a lack of prayer and sacrifice. Gently but firmly, Mary as Mother exhorts us, her children, to intensify our prayer life, to be willing to live a more sacrificial life, and to strive to live a life of greater purity. This reminds us of the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the pure of heart; for they will see God.” (Mt. 5:8)
9. MARY AS MOTHER COMFORTS HER CHILDREN. In the midst of the many sufferings, trials, tribulations, afflictions, and setbacks in this short life on earth, which is merely a short pilgrimage on the highway to heaven, Our Lady as loving Mother ardently desires to comfort us. Among the many consoling titles of Mary is Our Lady of Consolation. Still more, the Marian prayer that we say to conclude the most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary is that of the HAIL HOLY QUEEN. This consoling prayer starts with these words: Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! Beyond a doubt, these few words are like a gentle dew descending upon the dry and parched desert of our soul. Indeed, in the sorrows, sadness, and failures that we all experience in life, which is a valley of tears, we should run to Mary as our Mother to comfort us. She will come quickly to soothe our sorrows with the comfort and consolation of her loving heart!
10. MARY AS MOTHER TRULY LOVES US, AND LOVES US INTENSELY! A natural mother loves her children. However, human love has limits and it often wanes, declines, and can even grow cold. This is reality! Not so in the case of Mother Mary. The love of the most pure and Immaculate Heart of Mary never wanes, diminishes, or grows cold. It is a constant, intense, and faithful love. Mary as Mother loves us irrespective of where we are, what we have done, or what we have failed to do. Her love is most pure and perfect. Possibly the best way to understand to a limited degree the love Mother Mary has for you and for me would be by meditating upon the words of the Doctor of Grace, the great Saint Augustine: “If you were to put all the love, of all of the mothers, of all times and all places together, the love that Mary has for you is much greater!” In other words, it is impossible to fathom the inexpressible, sublime, ineffable love that Mary as Mother has for you!
In conclusion, we hope and pray that starting now you will experience the extraordinary power of the presence of Mary in your life, most especially as your Heavenly Mother. As Mother, she will attain life and life in abundance for you. As Mother, she will nurture and strengthen your spiritual life. As Mother, she will clothe you with the royal garment of sanctifying grace. As attentive Mother, she has her loving eyes fixed upon you at all times. As a good Mother, she will help you to be educated in the Gospel—the Good News of salvation that Jesus her Son taught. Wounded? Mary is also known as Health of the sick, and like Jesus, she will intercede as Physician. Never too busy, Mary as Mother will lend you an attentive ear and she is the best of listeners. If you are a wandering sheep from the fold, Mary, as Mother of the Good Shepherd, aware of the presence and danger of the wolves, will bring you back to the fold. In the midst of the sorrows and failures of life, Mary is “your life, your sweetness, and your hope.” (Hail Holy Queen) Finally, Mary as Mother loves you intensely with her Immaculate Heart and desires that one day you will be with her forever in heaven to praise, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for all eternity. Amen.
Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA
