I’ve said I consecrate myself to Jesus, through Mary. However the term “Consecration” is used in multiple ways, as the 3 ways, inferred by the title of this post. Before we break it down; let’s examine a few quotations, the first from the University of Dayton:
“All consecrations to Mary have this Spirit-oriented (meaning Christocentric and theocentric) meaning. Consecration to Mary is consecration to the “perfect means” (Montfort) which Jesus chose to unite himself with us and vice versa. Consecration to Mary heightens the depth and truth of our commitment to Christ. Consecration to Mary must explicitly state that our ultimate goal and end is God (Holy Spirit; Christ our Lord). Consecrations to Mary where one pledges to perform all actions “through Mary, in Mary, and for Mary” are in fact a pledge to perform them more perfectly through Jesus Christ, with him, in, and for him. Dedication to the Heart of Mary must therefore maintain the vital unity between the Heart of Mary and the Heart of Jesus. We must confide ourselves to the Heart of Mary in view of our consecration to God. We offer ourselves to this divine consecration through Mary, for she points the way to the heart of Jesus.”
From Net Ministries we learn: “To consecrate yourself to Jesus through Mary is, at its core, to say to Mary: totus tuus, “all yours, Mary.” All that is mine is yours and all that is yours is mine. Consecration is to give our whole selves to Jesus through Mary, and in return, to receive him through her.”
So what does it all mean, who are we consecrating ourselevs too?
I believe the quote from the University of Dayton says it best, “Consecration to Mary must explicitly state that our ultimate goal and end is God (Holy Spirit; Christ our Lord). ” So in this sense all 3 of the above statements in the Blog title are correct. Becasue in our sense, the Goal of consecration is God, whether we expouse that directly to Christ, or to Christ through Mary, or to Mary, the consecration is ultimately to Christ, to God! The act of consecration in our sense here, is a sacred act, and the only person that can make an act sacred is God! So God, invites us to consecrate ourselves; and our consecration, is actually a RESPONSE to the original Consecration call to us from God!
Another Author says it this way, which I think does foster some confusion, becasue it has Louis de Montfort saying we consecrate ourselves to Mary. However I find the description beautiful, and meaningful, in that when I consecrate myself, I give all to Mary, for her to use as she deems appropriate.
“One of the definitions for the word “consecrate” is to “dedicate formally to a religious or divine purpose”
Marian consecration is the act of entrusting one’s body, soul, possessions, works, and entire life to the protection, guidance, and intercession of Our Lady.
The act of entrusting oneself to Mary’s care and intercession is nothing new. Jesus Himself entrusted His beloved disciple, John, to Mary while He was on the Cross (John 19:26-27). The early Christians and Church fathers recognized Mary’s holiness and her significance as the Mother of God. We’ve been asking for Mary’s intercession and intervention in our lives since the beginning of the Church. She is, after all, our mother, too.
The more formal method of consecration to Mary was developed by Saint Louis de Montfort in the 1600s.
My recommendation is to keep it simple, and realize that ALL Consecrations that I refer to in this blog generally are to God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and are responses to what Jesus has asked of us. So a Consecration to Mary, is ultimately to Mary, to Jesus. The reason why I named this blog “Mary to Jesus” is be constantly mindful that Marian consecration is to Jesus. Fiat!
Fiat!