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This evening at 8pm, myself, the majority of my friends, and a host of other people will be consecrating ourselves to Jesus by way of St. Louis de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary.

I have read some of St. Louis’ writings, but have never officially consecrated myself. Some background on this devotion that will take place over the next 33 days:

Total Consecration is an absolutely beautiful exercise to increase your spirituality and ability to truly serve our Lord Jesus Christ. The basic premise set forth by St. Louis Marie de Montfort is simply that Jesus came into the world through Mary and that for us to always be assured of being close to Jesus, even closer than ever before, we should go through Mary.

Initially, this idea may seem strange to some. Why consecration? And why consecration through Mary? What does that even mean?

Consecration means to set aside for a sacred purpose. Mary’s life was set aside for the sole purpose of serving our Lord. By following her example, we, too, can completely give ourselves to Christ in a fundamental way that consecrates us to Him. We give our lives to Him in service and love.

Consecration to Jesus through Mary according to the method of St. Louis de Montfort is a method used by Pope John Paul II and it is this consecration that lead to the founding of Rosary Army in 2003.

Why do this?

We consecrate ourselves in order to be more devoted to the Lord and His Blessed Mother. It helps us grow in holiness and increase our faith, hope, and love. It is a prayerful and focused method of drawing closer to Jesus than ever before.

Rosary Army has some really great explanations and podcasts on this topic.

I was talking to my girlfriend who has done the consecration for the last ten years, and she told me to “get ready” because powerful things happen. I believe it, as I have had some amazing things happen to me through the intercession of Mary, and over the years as I have grown closer to her, my understanding of God’s love and relationship with Christ has grown exponentially.

I’ll keep you posted over the next 33 days!