Consecration

It is very important to understand the true nature of DeMontfort's Total Consecration to Mary. It is unlike the ordinary commitments that one might make to a religious confraternity, like the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary. One does not promise to keep the obligations of such a confraternity under penalty of sin. If one enrolls himself in an ordinary confraternity, he will lose many of the benefits granted to the confraternity by the Church if he fails to keep up his own commitments. That is why one may enroll in a confraternity, but if he fails to keep the obligations of the confraternity: he simply loses the extraordinary benefits that are attached by the Church to being enrolled: but he commits no sin. Essentially the person himself, who fails to keep his intended commitments to a confraternity, is the only loser. It is true, that he no longer contributes to the good of of the other members of the confraternity, but he certainly gains more from the indulgences and prerogatives granted to the confraternity by the Church by actively keeping his commitments, than the other member of the confraternity loses by his failure to participate. Also, the moment he begins to keep his obligations again, he begins to share again in all the benefits granted to the confraternity by the Church.

DeMontfort's Total Consecration is different. This consecration has the characters of a vow: because it is a most solemn and eternal dedication. It is more than an ordinary promise - which is not binding under penalty of sin; but it is less demanding that the solemn vows, which one would make to become a professed religious. Still, the effect of this consecration, properly made, is irrevocable. Once a person understands the nature of this consecration, he understands that he is entirely abrogating any of his natural spiritual rights to dictate where the satisfaction of his good actions might be applied. A person who makes this consecration, may fast and pray for any intention he would like; but he has absolutely no assurance that satisfaction from his fasts and prayers will be applied for that intention. In fact, he can almost be certain that Our Lady may often see a greater spiritual need elsewhere; she may freely use these satisfactions for anything that she desires. Likewise, she safeguards the merits we earn by these acts [since they cannot be applied to anybody but ourselves] and makes them more pleasing to her Son.

The Act of Total Consecration, then, means that we leave in Our Lady's hands the satisfactions from all our good works - "past, present and future" - to do with as she wishes; the merit gained from our good works are cared for and perfected by her, making them more acceptable to her Son.

This Act brings one to entirely abrogate possession of himself; he completely gives away ownership of his own body and his soul, all of his material possessions, and even the right to to dispose of the values of any of his good actions.

One must trust that Our Lady will tenderly care for all his needs: just as she cared for the needs of Jesus. However, a soul thus consecrated to her, can never DEMAND anything from her. He has willingly offered himself to her, to be her slave. A slave cannot demand anything from his master. One must completely resign himself to her will, to her generosity, and to her protection. It is precisely in the complete surrender of one's own soul to trust in the Blessed Virgin, from which come the most extraordinary graces. One gives up his own body and soul, but replaces himself, in his own estimation, by becoming the servant, the complete slave, and the absolute possession of Most Holy Mary. One must now rely upon her for absolutely everything. Her wisdom will dictate his circumstances; and her will shall dictate the distribution of all of the satisfaction gained by meritorious works.

Even if they forget about her: she will not forget about them: or their solemn consecration to her. She may bless them when they do not deserve anything at all, and she may seem to permit them to endure chastisements and crosses which they feel are completely unfair. They must resign themselves to be used by her, as her own possessions. They must accept that she will now use them as instruments to crush the head of Satan. Because they now belong to the Blessed Virgin, every good thing they do is actually the work of the Blessed Virgin, and the spiritual satisfaction of every evil they are forced to endure is now the property of the Blessed Virgin. Our Lady will use these special children to crush the head of Satan in the apocalyptic battle of these end times. Satan is painfully aware of who is responsible for his defeat: because it comes primarily through these very souls who are so especially consecrated to Mary. Mary will use her most humble children to crush the head of this ancient serpent, and they will be used to thwart his proud servants who seem to be the rulers of this earth. Satan hates these souls with a special vengeance. They must stay very, very close to their mother, sacramentally and spiritually, or he will wreak terrible havoc in their lives in every way he can. However, she will only allow him to persecute such souls, insofar as it is required to convince them of their own incapacity: and of their great need of her powerful protection.

Because of the grave and serious nature of this total consecration; one must not enter into it lightly. The less serious one is, the less one really belongs to the Blessed Virgin. A soul must diligently prepare for this special act of consecration with the month-long preparation designed by De Montfort himself.. Though one may begin to recite the act of consecration immediately, one still must make a very special Act of Consecration with the greatest solemnity on a specific day. One should most certainly go to Mass on the day of the solemn consecration. One should offer his private intentions of the Mass for the perfect efficacy of the consecration he is about to make. A person would be wise to save the Act of Total Consecration, and to reformat the document so that it includes their own name. One should also sign and date the document, and then save it.

This paper in fact becomes the original deed of one's own body and soul; it becomes the temporal evidence that one has dedicated himself to really be the possession of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. One should then re-consecrate himself on this same day, every year, using the same form of consecration for the rest of his life.

On a daily basis, the soul should use the brief form of the consecration as a means of renewing himself in Our Lady's service. St. Louis Marie De Montfort recommends that we say several times throughout the day: "I am all thine Immaculate One, with all that I have: in time and in eternity" as a sign of this commitment. Any similar prayer is sufficient to continue to grow in the extremely valuable prerogatives of sanctifying grace, which are now available through this extraordinary consecration. Most Holy Mary is never out-done in generosity. She will repay a hundred fold anyone who will consecrate themselves to her in this way. That person however, can not demand anything from Our Lady. One may only present their needs and desires with humble confidence; they must trust that her wisdom and generosity will take care of all their needs; she will exceed the desires of their own expectations.

However, one must be prepared not to receive graces and heavenly prerogatives in the manner which one expects. It is almost certain, that in most instances, Our Lady will not do a soul's bidding in the way a soul imagines that she might. The soul must accept that IN FACT: IT IS HER PROPERTY. A person can not use Mary: Mary will use the person! This is very painful for most people, who are secretly filled with self love. It would be best for a person who consecrates himself to Our Lady in this way, simply to believe that he is interiorly filled with pride and self love. They must be prepared for Our Lady to rid them of this self love, by forcing them to resign their will to hers. This can be very painful, and it is often infuriating to the soul who expects that the designs of own will be accomplished according to its own desires. The only relief comes through accepting that one has no choice, and no options. One must habitually learn to accept the providence of God, as it is ordained through Our Lady's gentle, but very real wisdom.