Immaculate Mary, Your Praises We Sing
A very HAPPY Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception! What a BIG day!
On December 8, we celebrate how “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.” (CCC 491)
In other words, she’s sinless!! She is sinless!!!
One of my favorite traditions on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (besides wearing blue), is to renew the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary. The first time I did it was in college, and every so often I like to renew it again. Two years ago, my husband and I consecrated ourselves together during our wedding Mass.
Since Our Blessed Mother never, ever sinned… Why not put ourselves as close as possible under her care? Is she not the most perfect person for the job?!!!
Total Consecration “formalizes” this. St. Pius IX declared that this was the most acceptable devotion to Our Lady and rings with Pope John Paul II’s words, “Totus tuus,” meaning “I am all yours.”
The consecration booklet/prayer
Praying the consecration after Holy Communion- sealing the deal!!
Bringing flowers to Our Lady after our Consecration
The Consecration to Our Lady has HUGE EFFECTS on those who consecrate themselves. It is very, VERY real.
And because we’re human beings - with a body and soul - tangible realities help us look towards Heaven. What I enjoy is that we can use something as simple as a piece of jewelry to remind us each day of our consecration to Our Lady.
When you decide to Consecrate yourself to Our Lady, I suggest wearing a ring or bracelet as a symbol of your choice.
I have worn this ring for over 10 years and it has been a wonderful reminder for me throughout my day. It can be easy to forget to pray throughout the day and to catch a glimpse of this ring when you least expect it feels like a real blessing!
Here is my consecration ring. I’ve worn it for almost 12 years and it’s still in excellent (can I say, immaculate?!) condition. These rings are made especially for the monastery gift shop at the St. Benedict Center in Still River, Massachusetts.
True Devotionals Ring I wear this on my right ring finger and my miraculous medal ring on my middle finger. (do you think i’m covered enough by Our Lady, LOL!?!)
True Devotional Bracelet I know some people don’t enjoy wearing rings, so there is the option of a bracelet, as well. In a Marian Consecration , you consecrate yourself as a slave to Our Lady, so a chain is a powerful symbol of that devotion.
And if you are interested in consecrating yourself to Our Lady, you can purchase the booklet here.