Ad Jesu Per Mariam... Repost

Hello dear sisters!!

Today I begin my preparation to renew my Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary on August 15th, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary.  I made my consecration 2 years ago on that date and I'm very excited to read and pray in preparation again.  I thought I would re-share this post I wrote on Maidens for Mary in April of last year.  I hope you find it inspirational.  Have you completed the Consecration before?  If so, on what Marian feast?  If you haven't, I encourage you to join me during this period, or find another upcoming Marian feast to complete your Consecration on!

"The more we honor the Blessed Virgin, the more we honor Jesus Christ, because we honor Mary only that we may the more perfectly honor Jesus, since we go to her only as the way by which we are to find the end we are seeking, which is Jesus." 

~St. Louis De Montfort 

Trust in me, my daughter, that I am your mother.

The Total Consecration to Mary was written by St. Louis Marie de Montfort (1673-1716), a French Roman Catholic priest and confessor.  "The essence of this true devotion is the total offering of one's self and all one's goods both temporal (of this earth) and spiritual to Our Lady-in as much as the duties of one's state in life will allow-and then living as dependent upon her as a slave to a Queen." (Manual for Total Consecration to Mary pg. v)

(Here is a page with more info: https://www.saintbenedict.com/tradition/total-consecration)

Our goal as children of God is to be happy with Him forever in Heaven and this is brought about by a complete and perfect union with Christ and His will.  How better to achieve this than to imitate the only person on this earth who has ever attained this complete union of wills?  Mary was conceived without sin (we call this the Immaculate Conception) so that she could be a pure and sinless means to bring Jesus into the world.  We know this from the words of the Archangel Gabriel, "And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women." (Luke 1:28) Since Mary is without sin, her will is in perfect union with God's.  Therefore, we want to imitate this most perfect example of union with God's will.  We ask Mary to help us attain this perfect union with Christ. 

"When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own." (John 19:26-27)

Christ gave us Mary as our mother when He gave her to the apostle St. John.  If Christ is our brother and wants what is best for us, than so too would His mother be our mother and want what her Son wants for us.

Also, this consecration directs us to offer all of our prayers, sufferings, and desires to Jesus, through Mary.  This concept is illustrated by Jesus' first public miracle, "And the wine failing, the mother of Jesus saith to him: They have no wine. And Jesus saith to her: Woman, what is that to me and to thee? my hour is not yet come. His mother saith to the waiters: Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:3-5)  Mary petitioned the needs of the bride and groom at Cana to Jesus and will do so for us as well.  As we see in this story, Jesus will refuse her nothing.  Therefore, we ask Mary to present our needs to her Son so that He will answer them.

There is a very beautiful and special book that illustrates why we go to Jesus through Mary. Take it to the Queen This original fable explores the events of Jesus' life, and demonstrates the role of the Virgin Mary as the benevolent agent of God's people. Reduced to desolation by a king and prince who feel they have been wronged, the residents of a once-favored village must seek help from the queen, a native of their devastated town.

Have you made your total consecration to Jesus through Mary yet?  If not, here are some things to get you started.

• Visit this link to learn more about the Total Consecration.
• Pick a date to complete your consecration on.  You can pick almost any Marian feast day and there are a ton!  I did mine on August 15th, the feast of the Assumption of Our Blessed Mother.
• Find or order a copy of the Manual for Total Consecration.  You can also get this copy which includes St. Louis de Montfort's other book, True Devotion to Mary, which makes great supplemental reading anytime.
• Begin your total consecration reading and praying 33 days before the date of your consecration.
• Finally, don't worry if you miss a day or fall behind.  Prepare your heart and strive in all you do to imitate Our Blessed Mother in her virtues.

There are also some beautiful products for you to commemorate and help you remember your Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary.  You can find them here. 😊

Remember that Mary is your mother.  She loves you and wants what's best for you.  She will always keep you under her mantle of protection as long as you ask and place your trust completely in her more than capable hands.

"Am I not here who am your Mother?  Are you not under my shadow and protection?  Am I not your fountain of life?  Are you not in the folds of my mantle?  In the crossing of my arms?  Is there anything else you need?"

~Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego

If you have some extra reading time while you are making your consecration or after you have made it, I highly suggest that you read Mary Was Her Life: The Story of Sister Maria Teresa Quevedo.  It is an AMAZING account of the life of a young girl who lived her short life here on Earth entirely through Mary.  I made my consecration in August of 2017, but Ven. Maria Teresa really taught me how to live this consecration in every little aspect of my life.

I haven't perfected my consecration yet, but that's not the point.  Mary will help you.  Ask for the grace to grow in your trust and consecration.  You are all in my prayers.

Let us always go "Ad Jesu per Mariam,"  "To Jesus, through Mary."

In cordibus Jesu et Mariae,

Sarah

Reposted from Maidens for Mary

A Visit to the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph pray for us!

Hello and Happy New Year!

I wanted to share with you today a few pictures and thoughts on my visit to the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Valparaiso, NE.

In November I flew out to Omaha, Nebraska for a refreshing and thoughtful weekend at the Carmel of JMJ.  I didn’t know quite what to expect as I’ve never been on a vocation retreat or visit before, but God is good and He always provides. A local family very kindly helped me out with transportation.

When we arrived at the Carmel, I was a little nervous.  We entered the turn room and rang the bell.  It was so fun to first hear Sister through the turn. She asked me if I was up for a visit with the mothers and so I was directed down the hall to the “speak room.”  It felt like I was in the St. Therese movie!!

The Turn Room

 I was pretty nervous but as the weekend proceeded, I became more and more at ease.  I was blessed to meet 5 of the Sisters and they were all so gracious and kind.  I had plenty of opportunities to ask questions of the Mothers and sisters and they were all very helpful.  The Carmel itself is absolutely gorgeous!! 😍

My retreat was very simple and I was by myself with Jesus most of the time because these nuns are strictly cloistered.  My favorite part of it all was the silence.  Even if you don’t feel called to cloistered life, I would highly recommend going on a silent retreat because in the silence you are not only able to hear the whisper of God better, but you’re also able to hear yourself better.  In the silence, away from the noises and distractions of the world, you can discover who you truly are more fully.  My time was made up of mental prayer, the Divine Office (using the Carmelite Breviary,) reading, meals, and enjoying the beauty of the Nebraska sunsets.

St. Mary (Mariam) of Jesus Crucified, one of my 2 Confirmation Saints.

I am so glad I was able to visit this Carmel that I've heard quite a bit about.  Both Mothers and the sisters were very kind and hospitable.  It was so nice to spend time in silence with our Lord listening for His call.  I absolutely loved it there.  I am back home living with my family still, but I continue to pray every day to discern God's will.  The sisters advised me, and other discerning girls, to go home and take some time to discern if you're really called there.  So that's what I'm doing.  

It is now 2019!  It is a little hard to believe.  I have no idea what this year holds, but I look forward to it with eager anticipation.  I pray you and your family have a very happy, holy, and blessed new year.

The Crown of Thorns

From the St. Benedict Center: 

Traditionally, each Friday in Lent is dedicated in a special way to some aspect of the Passion. This first friday in Lent is dedicated to the Crown of Thorns.

Dear Lord, I am grieved when I consider Your sad condition when You wore the Crown of Thorns upon Your Holy Head.

I desire to withdraw the thorns by offering to the Eternal Father the merits of Your Wounds for the salvation of sinners. I wish to unite my actions to the merits of Your Most Holy Crown, so that they may gain many merits, as You have promised. Amen.

I was looking though Pinterest to find an image to go with this post and there are many deep and beautiful images of Our Dear Lord crowned with thorns.  But then, some are so very realistic and striking.  But what really inspired this blog post was a related pin.  Among all of the bloody, anguished pictures of Jesus suffering, was an image of the sweet, innocent, and pure Christ Child.  Words can't describe what contemplation brings to my mind, so I'd just like to share some of my favorite beautiful images side-by-side.

 He loves you so much that he was whipped and crowned, suffered and died for love of you.  Let us try to endure our comparatively small pains and trials with love in return.  I pray you all have a blessed Lent.  Let us contemplate the love and suffering of Our Good Jesus this holy season.

God bless you!

Today, I Choose...

I decided to cross post this from my other blog...

Today, I choose to be good. 

I choose to be kind.

I choose to love.

I choose to strive for Heaven.

Every day we must make this choice.

It is not an easy choice.

We may make mistakes.

We may fall into sin.

But each day, each hour, each moment, we must start anew and choose to follow Jesus.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." ~Matthew 16:24 DRB

This will not be easy.  It will not always be fun.  But this is what Our Lord has called us to do each and every day.  Let us start each and every day, especially in this new year, with our morning offering.  Let us make Jesus our first thought in the morning.  Remember, that today is a totally new day.  We can choose this day to start fresh and avoid sin.  

The Morning Offering

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of our Holy Father. Amen.

This doesn't mean we will be perfect each day we choose to be good.  It doesn't mean all of our day will be without sin or sorrow.  But this is just a way to help us strive for perfection.  We must make an active effort to follow Jesus.  If we make mistakes, we must turn to Him with a contrite heart, confess our sins, and start again.  Jesus will help us.  We are a fallen race and so are attracted towards sin.  But with the Grace of God, we can strive to rise above our human nature and strive to reach the divine.

Today, choose to follow Jesus!