The
core of this consecration is,
in accordance with the prayer
of consecration, a full renunciation
of sin, temptation of evil and
the devil. It is an irrevocable
offering to the heart of Mary and through it to the heart of Jesus as a response to their
love. With this consecration
our baptismal consecration to
God is consciously renewed and
deepened.
Why are we speaking of Jesus' and Mary's "hearts"
We
do so because the Church's doctrine,
decrees and liturgy speak of Jesus' and Mary's hearts (The Church observes the feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and
the Immaculate Heart of Mary).
Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Jesus and Mary also present themselves
in this way in private revelations
e.g., to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Catherine Labouré,
to the visionaries of Fatima,
and to St. Faustina Kowalska).
Its foundation lies in Scripture
itself.
In
the Bible and in common language,
"heart" means the personal centre
of a person and is a symbol
of his or her love.
Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
When we speak of Jesus' and Mary's hearts we think of Jesus and Mary under the aspect of the richness of their inner lives, especially of their love for the Father and all people.
Mankind
today needs God's goodness,
love and mercy more than ever.
We share in this in consecration
to Jesus' and Mary's hearts
and in living out this consecration.
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Jesus' and Mary's heart
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The image of the two hearts speaks to us of their infinite love toward people,
toward each parish, each family, and each individual.
Their love towards sinful mankind reveals itself from the time of Jesus' birth
in the stable of Bethlehem to his death on the cross on Golgotha. Their love is so wonderful especially because
it is a love that has experienced crucifixion.
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In
the acknowledgement of their
love, Jesus and Mary want to
lead us to selfless love of
God and our neighbour which
is the core of holiness to which
we are called. Because they
love us they want to save mankind
that has gone astray. The messages of Fatima also speak about this.
It is necessary for us to believe
in their love and trust them
in order to commit ourselves
to them totally. They will renew
our hearts so that we will begin
to think, speak, work and love
as they do.
Jesus
assured St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
that tepid Christians who would
consecrate themselves to the
heart of Jesus would become
fervent, and the fervent ones
would rise quickly to great
perfection.
Why a consecration to Hearts of Jesus and Mary at the same time
Up
to now, it has been customary
to consecrate to the heart of Jesus and to the heart of Mary separately.
Each consecration reached its peak in the consecration of the universal Church and
the whole world by several Popes.
In
the year 1899, Pope Leo XIII
consecrated the whole Church
and the whole world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. And in 1942,
Pope Pius XII consecrated the
whole Church and the whole world
to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Pope John Paul II made such
consecrations to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1984 and again
in the year 2000.
Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Jesus and Mary belong together, and therefore we consecrate
and commit ourselves to them at the same time.
In the litany of the Heart of Jesus we pray:
»Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mother's womb«.
Through
the action of the Holy Spirit, Jesus as man with a man's heart was formed in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
Both hearts were wonderfully united from the very beginning.
The heart of Mary was the first to adore
the heart of Jesus and to grasp profoundly the depth of His love.
She shaped the heart of Her Son.
When the heart of Jesus was pierced with the soldier's lance on the cross,
the heart of Mary was also pierced with a sword of sorrows.
The heart of his Mother is mirrored in the heart of Jesus.
Veneration of the heart of Mary had developed
in the Church parallel to veneration
of the heart of Jesus. The feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is observed immediately after
the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, showing their close, intimate union.
During all three apparitions of the angel at Fatima in 1916, the
angel of peace mentioned the heart of Jesus and the heart of Mary together.
Where there is the Son, there is also the Mother!
During the second apparition of the Virgin Mary at Fatima, on June 13, 1917, Lucia was asked to spend her life promoting devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, wherein lies the redemption of mankind.
Devotion to the Heart of Jesus was already well established in the Church at that time.
Hearts of Jesus and Mary
The core of the consecration
- The core of this consecration is, in accordance with the prayer of consecration,
a full renunciation of sin, temptation of evil and the devil.
It is an irrevocable offering to the heart of Mary and through it to the heart of Jesus as a response to their love.
With this consecration our baptismal consecration to God is consciously renewed and deepened.
All people belong to Jesus
because he is our Redeemer,
our Saviour. We Christians belong
to Him in a special way through
our Baptism. We have to affirm
our allegiance to Jesus and
affirm it again and again with
our personal decision for him.
This happens in an excellent
way with a well prepared consecration
to the heart of Jesus.
We belong not only to Jesus but also to Mary, because she is our spiritual Mother. Whoever commits himself to the heart of Mary,
also commits himself to the heart of Jesus.
Mary is a shortcut to Jesus, a mediatrix and an intercessor with him.
The expression of St. Louis Grignion
de Montfort applies here: Through Mary to Jesus!
In the strict sense of the word, we can consecrate ourselves only to God,
and therefore to Jesus, who is not only true man but also true God.
However, we consecrate ourselves to the Virgin Mary only in the wider sense of the word,
which is in accordance with newer instructions of the Apostolic See, using the term 'commitment', or 'offering'.
With consecration to Mary we commit ourselves to Jesus:
- our souls and bodies,
- our spiritual progress,
- our prayers,
- sacrifices,
- good deeds,
- hidden spiritual struggles,
- our state of health,
- our families,
- acquaintances and friends,
- our profession and
- all our material goods.
A new life starts in us, formed after the hearts of Jesus and Mary.
- If we consecrate ourselves to the hearts of Jesus and Mary consciously,
they too give themselves to us in a new way. It's a covenant of two loves.
- When we commit ourselves to Jesus and Mary we
become their property. They will take care of us as their property.
Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Life
out of the consecration
Consecration is not just a single act.
We affirm and renew it again and again in our everyday life.
In the litany of the Heart of Jesus we call the Heart of Jesus
a »flaming fire of love« He is »full of goodness and love«.
At his Heart our hearts can glow in love, filling themselves with goodness and love, with
a longing to become holy and
to love unselfishly.
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque wrote:
- »It
seems to me that there is
no shorter way to rise to
perfection and no more reliable
means for salvation than
that of consecration to
the heart of God.«
The
saint often declared
- that
no one who venerates and
consecrates him/her self
to the heart of Jesus will
ever be damned.
Consecration
also directs us toward a deeper
love of our neighbour. Our apostolate
is first of all an apostolate
of prayer and sacrifice, of
an exemplary Christian life,
obeying the commandments of
God and of the Church.
We
should pray for the coming of
the Kingdom of heaven in souls.
Toward that goal we should also
accept hardships and make sacrifices.
Above
all, we should willingly carry
our crosses each day in reparation
for our own sins and for the
sins of all mankind.
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