Merriam-Webster defines the word, consecration as devotion to a purpose with deep solemnity or dedication.

What is the purpose?

Saint Louis De Montfort tells us: 

“ALL our perfection consists in being conformed, united, and consecrated to Jesus Christ; and therefore the most perfect of all devotions is, without any doubt, that which most perfectly conforms, unites, and consecrates us to Jesus Christ. Now, Mary being the most conformed of all creatures to Jesus Christ, it follows that, of all devotions, that which most consecrates and conforms the soul to our Lord is devotion to His holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to Mary, the more is it consecrated to Jesus.”

In simple terms, he tells us that if we want to be closer to Jesus, we go to Him through Mary.

 

Behold Your Mother

John’s gospel tells us, “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother”…… We understand that, in this, Jesus was not giving Our Lady to John exclusively. He was giving His mother to us, to be our mother. Imagine it. The mother of Our Lord, the woman who bore Him, shared His blood, cared for Him as a child and most importantly, the woman He created, is our mother! 

Mary does not take this role lightly. She prays for us and with us. She knows our every need, fear, and joy and she takes them to her Son. She leads us to her Son. 

Mary is Like the Moon

“God who made the sun also made the moon. The moon does not take away from the brilliance of the sun. All its light is reflected from the sun. The Blessed Mother reflects her Divine Son; without Him, she is nothing. With Him, she is the Mother of men.” 

~Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen~

 

Consecration to Mary is a devotion, a dedication to follow her, and offer all we do to Jesus through her, but consecrating ourselves to the Mother of God is also an honor for us. We may view consecration as our serving her, but let us never forget that, after Jesus, no one loves us more than His mother. She is a gift; a precious gift. As we honor her, she teaches us. She teaches us obedience, humility, prayerfulness, and charity. We look to her as a role model and this makes us better beings and we go to Jesus with a more loving heart. Mary’s Immaculate heart prepares us to go to the Sacred Heart of her Son.

 

Why should we consecrate ourselves to Mary? 

“Seek refuge in Mary because she is the city of refuge. We know that Moses set up three cities of refuge for anyone who inadvertently killed his neighbor. Now the Lord has established a refuge of mercy, Mary, even for those who deliberately commit evil. Mary provides shelter and strength for the sinner.”

~Saint Anthony of Padua~

 

“We never give more honour to Jesus than when we honour his Mother, and we honour her simply and solely to honour him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek – Jesus, her Son.”

~Saint Louis de Montfort~

Why should we consecrate ourselves to Mary?

We consecrate ourselves to her to give honor to Jesus, to become closer to Jesus, because she is a “refuge of mercy,” and because, as Mother of the Eucharist, she is with us at each celebration of the Mass.

The season of Lent is beginning.

It is a time for deeper prayer and reflection. Why not reflect upon your relationship with Mary? Remember her sorrows.
Pray the Servite Rosary and, as we look forward to the Resurrection, include, in your prayers, preparation for Marian Consecration.

 

Through Mary to Jesus

Marilyn Nash for Holyart.com