In his famous book, True Devotion to Mary, Saint Louis Marie de Montfort writes that consecrating our lives to Jesus through Mary is the shortest, easiest, quickest and most efficacious path to Heaven. But if you’re just discovering Marian Consecration, Saint Louis de Montfort’s writing can seem overwhelming.
Father Michael Gaitley’s book, 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration, reveals and unpacks Saint Louis de Montfort’s incredible writing and reveals the incredible spiritual wealth found in Marian consecration. In his book, Father Gaitley takes the principles of Saint Louis de Montfort and brings them down to layman’s terms. In short reflections on four huge Marian saints – Saint John Paul II, St. Louis de Montfort, Saint Maximilian Kolbe, and Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Father Gaitley sparks interest and love of Marian Consecration.
But what happens after you say the prayer of consecration? What are you supposed to do after you consecrated yourself to the Blessed Virgin Mary?
During a Marian consecration retreat, you can spend over a month preparing for the consecration with daily prayer and meditations, learning about the saints and the beauty of the Virgin Mary. But after praying the final consecration prayer, you may feel like like a kid on Christmas morning who has just opened his last present. It’s over? Already? What next?
It can be easy to put Marian Consecration on the shelf after the final prayer. You may pull it out again to renew your consecration in preparation for a Marian feast day. But the truth is that Marian consecration doesn’t end with the final consecration prayer.
Instead, Marian consecration is something to be lived out on a daily basis, renewed with every decision to draw closer to Christ’s heart through the heart of His mother. We are called to give our prayers to Mary and ask her to bring them to Christ.
Father Ed Broom, O.M.V.’s book, Total Consecration Through the Mysteries of the Rosary: Meditations to Prepare for Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary, presents those who have consecrated themselves to Mary with mediation and devotions. His book is a great tool to daily renew your Marian consecration.
For years, Father Broom led five week long retreats in Southern California using the devotions and meditations found in this book. But thanks to this book, growing closer to Christ and Mary through Father Broom’s wisdom doesn’t mean you have to buy a plane ticket or drive out to the west coast. Instead, you can learn from Father Broom’s wisdom, daily prayers and devotion to the rosary without leaving your house.
Father Broom’s book is a five week series of meditations on the mysteries of the rosary that culminates in the fifth week’s total consecration to Jesus through Mary. But you can also use the meditations as you pray the rosary to remind yourself of your consecration to the Blessed Virgin and as a reminder that every day is an opportunity to deepen your relationship with the mother of God.
The first four chapters of the books focus on the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries of the Rosary. Each mystery starts out with a reading from scripture, which Father Broom recommends reading slowly and prayerfully. After, he leads a meditation on the mystery. This is followed by aspects of the mystery that should be thoughtfully considered. Finally, Father Broom leads the reader through deep conversation with Mary. The last chapter of the book contains guided meditations on the seven sorrows of Mary.
In a new method of consecration, Father Broom pairs Marian consecration with the Rosary. His meditation combines the importance of Marian devotion and the incredible strength of the Rosary as a weapon against the devil.
Have you consecrated yourself to Mary and are looking for a way to daily renew your consecration? Maybe you’ve heard of Marian consecration but you’ve never been through a retreat to prepare for consecration. Or maybe you’ve never heard of consecration and just want to learn more about Saint Louis de Montfort and what he has to say about the quickest way to sainthood.
Regardless of where you’re at on the journey to Marian consecration, why not spend the next five weeks with Father Broom, meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and learning more about Marian spirituality? You’ll learn more about the Rosary, Mary, and scripture – all of which you’ll love more after reading Father Broom’s book.
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