“It may be objected: ‘Our Lord is enough for me.? I have no need of her (Mary).’? But He needed her, whether we do or not.”? (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, from The World’s First Love)

As 90 of us journey through the 33 day preparation period before making our Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, I’ll be periodically blogging about the importance of Marian devotion.? One of the most common questions that I hear (and have asked myself) is “Why do I need Mary if I have Jesus?”? It’s a valid question and one that should definitely be pursued if we take our Catholic faith seriously.

As he did so often, the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen really hit the nail on the head with the above quote.? One of the?first steps ?to understanding Marian devotion is to look at the role she played in the salvation of mankind.? Out of all the ways that Jesus could have saved us, He chose to become flesh and enter the world through the cooperation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

If you’re struggling to see the importance of Mary in your spiritual life,?I recommend that you begin by spending some time thinking about why?God sent us His Son through Mary.? There has to be a reason she was chosen,?don’t you think?? After all, there?are countless other ways in which Jesus could have arrived.? If Mary played?such an important?role in delivering?the Savior of the world, isn’t it highly probable that there is something really special about her?

Stay tuned…

Today at 2 PM on my Following The Truth radio show, I officially kicked off the much anticipated 33 day preparation period for the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary that I’ll be making along with 80+ other individuals.? In case you missed the live broadcast, you can listen to the podcast here.

In the initial show, I did my best to explain the devotion, as designed by St. Louis de Montfort.? In the remaining 32 shows before we do the actual consecration, I plan to spend the 1st 10-15 minutes of each show reading the actual prayers and meditations followed by some reflection and supplemental information.

If you have any questions about the consecration process (how to listen to my show, how to obtain written materials, etc.), please check out my previous blog post on the subject.? As always, don’t hesitate to contact me (gary@followingthetruth.com) if you have any questions or if there’s anything I can do to make the process easier.

Ad Jesum per Mariam (To Jesus through Mary),
Gary

Are you ready?

Thanks to all of you who signed up to do the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary beginning on September 4th.? As I discussed previously, I will be devoting my Following The Truth radio show to this devotion for the next 34 days.? While you certainly don’t have to listen to my show in order to make the devotion (I know that some of you just breathed a sigh of relief!), I thought that it might make it easier to listen to me lead the prayers each night.? I have received a lot of questions about the process, so let’s try to answer some of them:

What is Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary?? It is a devotion established by St. Louis de Montfort, an 18th century French priest, which allows you to dedicate your entire life to Jesus through Mary.

What is the process?? We will say daily prayers for 33 days, followed by the actual consecration on October 7th, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.?It is also recommended that you go to Confession and Holy Communion as close as possible to your consecration.

Am I taking permanent vows or making an unbreakable promise?? Not at all.? All you’re doing is saying that you’re going to try to better live out your baptismal vows with the help of the Blessed Mother.? In other words, you’re going to try to be more Christlike.? If you don’t complete the 34 day devotion, you are not sinning or doing anything wrong.

How does making this consecration affect my daily duties?? It doesn’t.? After the consecration is made, you’ll still work at your job, take care of your children or do what you do each day.? Making this consecration simply enriches your existing vocation.

I’m not convinced.? I?still want to learn?more about the Total Consecration before I commit.? Visit the website http://myconsecration.org for some excellent resources, including a video presentation from Cardinal Justin Rigali.?

How?much time?will the daily prayers take???During the 33 day preparation period,?the prayers take 10-15 minutes each day.?

What happens if I?miss a day of prayers???No big deal.? All you do is try to make them up the next day.? Although the prayers are?an important part of this process, St. Louis de Montfort did say that they aren’t absolutely necessary in?order to make the consecration.? ?

How can I listen to your radio show?? My Internet radio show, Following The Truth, airs every Monday-Friday?from 8 to 8:30 PM Eastern on BlogTalkRadio.? For the duration of this?Consecration, I will also?be doing a?15 minute show?on Saturday and Sunday at 2 PM Eastern.? You can listen to the show?on the Internet by going to the following?link:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gzimak?

What happens if I can’t listen to your radio show live?? No problem…you can listen to it at any time on the Internet.? After the show airs, the podcast is available on the BlogTalkRadio archives (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gzimak) on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/following-the-truth-gary-zimak/id417156319) and I will also post it on my Facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Catholic-Truth/86942558870)

What if I don’t want to listen to your radio show?? Can I say the prayers myself?? Absolutely!? As hard as it is to believe that anyone wouldn’t want to listen to the sound of my voice 🙂 , you can say the prayers on your own.?? The prayers for each day are available at the following site created by the Diocese of Harrisburg:

http://www.hbgdiocese.org/Default.aspx?PageID=bcb38c5a-4b5e-4e6d-b3e1-d49225407245

On that site, you can also watch and listen to Bishop Joseph McFadden lead the prayers for each day of the devotion.

How can I obtain the book that you are using for the devotion?? Although it won’t get to you in time for Sunday, the My Consecration apostolate will send you the materials free of charge (although they appreciate donations).? They can be found on the Internet at:

http://myconsecration.org

How can I keep up with news or updates during the devotion?? Send me an email at gary@followingthetruth.com and put “Mary” as the subject.? This will tell me that you’re making the consecration and I’ll add you to the mailing list.? This will enable me to get the word out in case I have to modify or cancel any radio shows.? Otherwise, you’ll probably only receive a few emails during the period (mainly for encouragement).? I assure you that I won’t share your email addresses or clog up your inboxes.? I’ll also be sure to post any updates on this blog, Facebook and Twitter.

What if I still have questions?? Feel free to email me at gary@followingthetruth.com

Get ready to start on Sunday, September 4th!

“At first, it had seemed to me that I should distance myself a bit from the Marian devotion of my childhood in order to focus more on Christ. Thanks to St. Louis de Montfort, I came to understand that true devotion to the Mother of God is actually Christocentric; indeed, it is very profoundly rooted in the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, and the mysteries of the Incarnation and Redemption.” (Blessed Pope John Paul II, Crossing The Threshold of Hope)

It is with great pleasure that I finally get to reveal the BIG announcement. I’m going to get right to the point and then I’ll fill in some of the details.

On September 4, 2011 I will begin the 33 day period of preparation which will result in consecrating myself to Jesus through Mary on October 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Often referred to as the St. Louis de Montfort Consecration, this Church approved devotion has the ability to transform your life. As a result, I am inviting as many of you as possible to make this consecration along with me.

In order to make it easier, I will be devoting all of my Following The Truth radio programs during this period to the necessary preparation prayers. While you can say them on your own, you can simply listen to the program on BlogTalkRadio each night at 8 PM Eastern (or download the podcast from the BTR archives or iTunes) and we’ll do it together!

The Total Consecration is divided into themes:

Days 1-12: The Spirit of the World,

Day 34: Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary.

How did this come about, you ask? While I was at the CMN Trade Show a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Ray Mooney, the National Coordinator of Parish Consecrations for the My Consecration apostolate. This group is dedicated to promoting the advancement of St. Louis de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus though Mary. Although I have made this consecration in the past, I’ve been wanting to renew it for some time. Additionally, I was thinking about a way that I’d be able to invite as many of you as possible to participate. After meeting Ray and watching his video presentation, I made the decision to use the resources of my Following The Truth apostolate to facilitate this process.

If you’re interested, send me an email at gary@followingthetruth.com (no message is necessary, just put the word “Mary” in the subject line) so that I’ll have an idea of how many of you will be doing this with me. Please share this invitation with as many people as you can. There is no cost and no vows are involved. You’re simply expressing the desire to become a better person and taking advantage of Mary’s help. It’s a great deal!

Please take a few minutes to watch the following video presentation featuring Cardinal Justin Rigali, the Archbishop of Philadelphia. I also invite you to click on the?banner at the bottom of this page?if you wish to find out more information about the devotion or to receive your own devotion book and DVD, totally free of charge (although the group does appreciate donations).

Still not sure if this is for you? Listen to the Following The Truth radio program tonight at 8 PM Eastern (or download the podcast from iTunes or the BlogTalkRadio archives). I’ll also be blogging more throughout the week.

I promise you that this devotion will change your life. Order your materials and get ready…we begin on September 4th!