Consecration To Mary?

[AudreyGrace]

I'd suggest reading True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis De Montfort- the guy who started it all (hypothetically speaking).
From personal experience with myself and witnessing my friends go through the Total Consecration, it can sometimes take actually DOING the consecration until one realizes what the "slave to Mary" concept is and why it's so important. I'd HIGHLY suggest consecrating. Even if by the end you still don't "get it", the graces poured out will be immense and obvious.

[AccountDeleted]

Look, I haven't done the De Montfort consecration to Mary and don't know anything about it. In fact, my love for Mary is something that only happened when I fell in love with Jesus five years ago, and I have no idea why.

I just know that when things get tough for me, I ask Mary to tell Him that I 'have no wine' and I know that she will intercede for me with Him. I don't understand it intellectually but I know that it is something I need to do and that I will feel as if I have had a load lifted off my shoulders when I do it.

I truly believe that anyone who loves Mary can only love Jesus even more because everything about her glorifies God and 'magnifies His name'.

Don't be afraid to let go and let yourself trust her and love her. She only wants everyone to love her Son and Saviour, Jesus.

Never has she distracted me from loving Him. In fact, she has only ever made it easier for me. Prayers for you.

Edited December 13, 2011 by nunsense

[the_rev]

This lighthouse media cd explains Marian consecration quite well. I'd recommend it:

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/true-devotion-to-mary-by-st-louis-de-montfort

[AudreyGrace]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1323773455' post='2350306']

Don't be afraid to let go and let yourself trust her and love her. She only wants everyone to love her Son and Saviour, Jesus.

Never has she distracted me from loving Him. In fact, she has only ever made it easier for me. Prayers for you.
[/quote]

beautiful!
reminds me of what St. Kolbe said:
"Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did."

It's nice to remember that having a relationship with Mary makes Jesus happy, too.

[brianthephysicist]

Thank you all for your comments, I've been thinking about this a lot and this has all been extremely helpful.

I guess the biggest thing is me coming to grips with a new dimensionality of Mary. For most of my life, I only ever knew her in a maternal way. I always looked to her as my heavenly mother. A great quote a sister told me once "Always know that you're safe with Mary. Think of her like you do your mom. You can always run to her for help and she'll never let you down. She's Jesus' mom too. So when you ask her to intercede for you, she'll be the one asking Jesus. Can you say no when your mom asks you for help?"

Earlier this year, I was going through some stuff and I figured out that I needed to make some changes in my life. In doing this, I was realizing that Mary was more than just a mother, she was a wife too. I realized the importance of looking to Mary and Joseph as role models for my life. I began to try to relate to them as real living people, not just impossible ideals.

But now, I'm examining this new dimensionality of her Queenhood. Whenever I thought about this before, I always thought that she was so humble that she'd be rolling in her grave, so to speak, whenever we call her the Queen of Heaven. But the quote "he who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" is helping me come to grips with this. She [i]is[/i] the Queen of heaven. She embodies God's vision of the perfect woman. God chose [i]her[/i] out of all of creation, "Blessed are you among women." Now I just need to pound that into my thick skull lol.

I'm also beginning to see how God would be willing to give her power over His Kingdom. Like, in my own life, I've felt little nudges from St. Joseph to do things. I trusted these nudges because I knew that the only reason God would only allow Joseph to do that would be because it followed His will. I know that Mary lived without sin. She lived her whole life in God's will. Why wouldn't she continue to do God's will while she's in Heaven too? God gives her power because He [i]knows[/i] that she will only use it for His glory.

There's so much here, and I've only scratched the surface. I'm definitely going to keep trying to dig deeper with this, amidst all the other things I need to learn more about. I don't think I'm going to consecrate myself anytime soon, but I'm going to keep exploring it and I'm open to it in the future. Thank you all again.

[Nihil Obstat]

Are you familiar at all with the rosary mystery of "The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth"?

[url="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_11101954_ad-caeli-reginam_en.html"]Here[/url] is the encyclical that established it as a feast day. It seems to get at a lot of what you're currently exploring. It's short and sweet.

Some quick excerpts:

[left]8. From early times Christians have believed, and not without reason, that she of whom was born the Son of the Most High received privileges of grace above all other beings created by God. He "will reign in the house of Jacob forever,"[5] "the Prince of Peace,"[6] the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords."[7] And when Christians reflected upon the intimate connection that obtains between a mother and a son, they readily acknowledged the supreme royal dignity of the Mother of God.[/left][left]9. Hence it is not surprising that the early writers of the Church called Mary "the Mother of the King" and "the Mother of the Lord," basing their stand on the words of St. Gabriel the archangel, who foretold that the Son of Mary would reign forever,[8] and on the words of Elizabeth who greeted her with reverence and called her "the Mother of my Lord."[9] Thereby they clearly signified that she derived a certain eminence and exalted station from the royal dignity of her Son.[/left]


[left]34. As We have already mentioned, Venerable Brothers, according to ancient tradition and the sacred liturgy the main principle on which the royal dignity of Mary rests is without doubt her Divine Motherhood. In Holy Writ, concerning the Son whom Mary will conceive, We read this sentence: "He shall be called the Son of the most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end,"[40] and in addition Mary is called "Mother of the Lord";[41] from this it is easily concluded that she is a Queen, since she bore a son who, at the very moment of His conception, because of the hypostatic union of the human nature with the Word, was also as man King and Lord of all things. So with complete justice St. John Damascene could write: "When she became Mother of the Creator, she truly became Queen of every creature."[42] Likewise, it can be said that the heavenly voice of the Archangel Gabriel was the first to proclaim Mary's royal office.[/left][left]35. But the Blessed Virgin Mary should be called Queen, not only because of her Divine Motherhood, but also because God has willed her to have an exceptional role in the work of our eternal salvation. "What more joyful, what sweeter thought can we have" - as Our Predecessor of happy memory, Pius XI wrote - "than that Christ is our King not only by natural right, but also by an acquired right: that which He won by the redemption? Would that all men, now forgetful of how much we cost Our Savior, might recall to mind the words, 'You were redeemed, not with gold or silver which perishes, . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb spotless and undefiled.[43] We belong not to ourselves now, since Christ has bought us 'at a great price'."[44], [45][/left]


[left]37. For "just as Christ, because He redeemed us, is our Lord and king by a special title, so the Blessed Virgin also (is our queen), on account of the unique manner in which she assisted in our redemption, by giving of her own substance, by freely offering Him for us, by her singular desire and petition for, and active interest in, our salvation."[48][/left]



[left]39. Certainly, in the full and strict meaning of the term, only Jesus Christ, the God-Man, is King; but Mary, too, as Mother of the divine Christ, as His associate in the redemption, in his struggle with His enemies and His final victory over them, has a share, though in a limited and analogous way, in His royal dignity. For from her union with Christ she attains a radiant eminence transcending that of any other creature; from her union with Christ she receives the royal right to dispose of the treasures of the Divine Redeemer's Kingdom; from her union with Christ finally is derived the inexhaustible efficacy of her maternal intercession before the Son and His Father.[/left][left]40. Hence it cannot be doubted that Mary most Holy is far above all other creatures in dignity, and after her Son possesses primacy over all. "You have surpassed every creature," sings St. Sophronius. "What can be more sublime than your joy, O Virgin Mother? What more noble than this grace, which you alone have received from God"?[52] To this St. Germanus adds: "Your honor and dignity surpass the whole of creation; your greatness places you above the angels."[53] And St. John Damascene goes so far as to say: "Limitless is the difference between God's servants and His Mother."[54][/left]







I'll leave the rest for you to read at your leisure. It's quite good; I need to give it a more detailed read myself.

[brianthephysicist]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1323812871' post='2350638']
Are you familiar at all with the rosary mystery of "The Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth"?

[url="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_11101954_ad-caeli-reginam_en.html"]Here[/url] is the encyclical that established it as a feast day. It seems to get at a lot of what you're currently exploring. It's short and sweet.

....

I'll leave the rest for you to read at your leisure. It's quite good; I need to give it a more detailed read myself.
[/quote]

I'm somewhat familiar with it, but I'd never really given it much thought before now.

You call this short and sweet? I'd hate to read what you think is long and drawn out lol. It'll take me some time to really pour over it properly, but it looks good, thanks

[Lil Red]

Scott Hahn's [url="http://www.amazon.com/Hail-Holy-Queen-Mother-Word/dp/0385501692/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323824113&sr=8-1"]Hail, Holy Queen[/url]. Easy to understand/read and has bibliography for more.

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='brianthephysicist' timestamp='1323824009' post='2350758']

I'm somewhat familiar with it, but I'd never really given it much thought before now.

You call this short and sweet? I'd hate to read what you think is long and drawn out lol. It'll take me some time to really pour over it properly, but it looks good, thanks[/quote]

Lol! Well for an encyclical you won't find many significantly shorter. If you want longer, Mediator Dei is also excellent.

[MissyP89]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1323824143' post='2350761']
Scott Hahn's [url="http://www.amazon.com/Hail-Holy-Queen-Mother-Word/dp/0385501692/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323824113&sr=8-1"]Hail, Holy Queen[/url]. Easy to understand/read and has bibliography for more.
[/quote]

This book is very, very good. It helped me come to grips with a lot of things that can be "difficult" for new and returning Catholics to accept about Our Lady.

I have it, if you'd like to borrow it either when you come home, or at some other time. Just let me know.

[MissyP89]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1323773455' post='2350306']
I just know that when things get tough for me, I ask Mary to tell Him that I 'have no wine' and I know that she will intercede for me with Him. I don't understand it intellectually but I know that it is something I need to do and that I will feel as if I have had a load lifted off my shoulders when I do it.
[/quote]

This is so beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing ... as someone who often struggles with approaching Our Lady for help, this small prayer resonates and I think it could be at least a starting place for me.

[TheresaThoma]

[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1323824143' post='2350761']
Scott Hahn's [url="http://www.amazon.com/Hail-Holy-Queen-Mother-Word/dp/0385501692/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323824113&sr=8-1"]Hail, Holy Queen[/url]. Easy to understand/read and has bibliography for more.
[/quote]
I'm pretty sure that it was in this book that the role of the Queen Mother in ancient Jewish culture was explained. The Queen Mother didn't have any "real" power of her own but since she was the King's mom she had influence over him. The Queen Mother was able to make requests of the King and typically since the King respected his mother the King would grant her requests. Subjects would often ask the Queen Mother's assistance. (I suggest reading the book because it puts it much better than I can here)
Looking at Mary's Queenship in light of that made much more sense.