33 Days to Morning Glory
A Do-It-Yourself Retreat In Preparation for Marian Consecration
Michael E. Gaitley, MIC
DAY OF CONSECRATION - A GLORIOUS NEW MORNING
BEFORE CONSECRATION
Congratulations! You’ve made it to Consecration Day. Now get ready for a gloriously new morning in your spiritual life. Of course, you’re already ready. You’ve been faithfully preparing for this moment for the last 33 days. So here are just three things I recommend by way of final preparation: (1) Make a good confession - but if you don’t have time to do so before the consecration, then from your heart tell the Lord you’re sorry for your sins, and make a resolution to go to confession as soon as you reasonably can. (2) Write out or print up the prayer of consecration, so you can sign it after you’ve recited it. (3) Get a miraculous medal to wear around your neck as a sign of your consecration - or at least keep one in your purse or wallet. (See explanation of the miraculous medal in the Appendix.) Again, these there things are recommendations. They’re not essential to the consecration.
PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Okay, so you’re ready to make your consecration. Now you’ll need the right prayer. You can use either the one that follows, one from the saints, or one that you write yourself. Whatever prayer you use, I recommend that you recite it after attending Mass or even after receiving Holy Communion (if there’s time). If you can’t get to Mass, you can still make the consecration - Mass is highly recommended but not essential. With or without Mass, after you recite the consecration prayer, I suggest that you sign it, date it, and keep it in a safe place. (When I renew my consecration annually, I like to recite the prayer from the original copy and then sign it date it again.) Anyway, once again, here’s the 33 Days to Morning Glory Prayer of Consecration that summarises the main idea of our four Marian giants:
I, _________, a repentant sinner, renew and ratify today in your hands, O Immaculate Mother, the vows of my Baptism. I renounce Satan and resolve to follow Jesus Christ even more closely than before.
Mary, I give you my heart. Please set it on fire with love for Jesus. Make it always attentive to his burning thirst for love and for souls. Keep my heart in your most pure Heart that I may love Jesus and the members of his Body with your own perfect love.
Mary, I entrust myself totally to you: my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions. Please make of me, of all that I am and have, whatever most pleases you. Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for bringing the greatest possible glory to God. If I fall, please lead me back to Jesus. Wash me in the blood and water that flow from his pierced side, and help me never to lose my trust in this fountain of love and mercy.
With you, O Immaculate Mother - you who always do the will of God - I unite myself to the perfect consecration of Jesus as he offers himself in the Spirit to the Father for the life of the world. Amen.
