In our challenging times many faithful are turning to the maternal care of The Blessed Virgin Mary through consecration.
In this post I would like to talk about the wonder and beauty of Marian consecration and how deeply I believe it helps us.
What does it mean to be totally consecrated to The Blessed Mother?
How do we live out consecration in our daily lives?
The answers to these questions have come to me personally over time within my vocation of motherhood. And also through a question I posed to The Lord:
Who am I?
Not long after asking this, I saw an image in my mind while in prayer.
It was a memory of a moment I shared with our first son in the hospital just after he was born.
It was the middle of the night and I had just fed him. I was holding him in a way which we were facing one another and he began to gaze at me very intently. With tremendous awe, wonder and complete trust.
In recalling this experience I realized that in that moment,
I was known.
This is not my son, however this infant gaze reminds me very much of his
I was known as Mother.
We had lived as one for a long time.
He was lulled by my voice and heartbeat, he absorbed my nutrients and the spiritual atmosphere within me.
I have felt The Holy Spirit lead me to deeper perspective of who I am not just as Mother, but as child, as a daughter of God, and daughter of Mary.
“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” John 19: 26-27
Consecration to The Blessed Mother is very important in our times.
We are living in the hour in which we need to “take her into our homes”.
When we bring her in to the interior home of our heart, we become like children.
“Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:4
When we become like children, we will one day gaze upon our Father’s face in heaven, and will know him, and Our Mother.
I feel becoming a child means living out two important aspects of Marian Consecration:
Believing and trusting in the depth of her maternal care, and allowing her to give us this care.
I feel through this, we come to know her. Just as a newborn child knows his mother.
In the last year, I have felt The Lord lead me into a meditation on the early years of human development and their correlation to The Blessed Mother’s care for us as her children.
My experience of care with my own children in their various stages of growth has brought great insight into this. But also my experience with The Blessed Mother and the ways I need and rely on her daily.
There are many days I need a high level of her care, like a newborn baby. Some days I may need to be on her lap, observing things happening around me. Some days I may need watchful care as I explore the world and its unforeseen dangers. There are some days I just need to live in her womb, because of a need for safety or healing.
I feel this is true for all of us.
I believe we all need varying levels of her maternal care based on our changing need . I have found it helpful to ask her for a specific level of care, and I just enter into it in my mind and heart.
Sometimes I have a strong sense of her care without even asking.
I feel this understanding of how she meets us so intimately in our daily need is a great spiritual help in our times, when fear and uncertainty abound and come knocking at our door.
When I think of being consecrated to The Blessed Mother I think of being in her Immaculate Heart, the core of her being.
The heart provides life to the body.
To place ourselves in her Immaculate Heart I feel is to place ourselves in her complete care of us in all of our “developmental stages”.
A mother’s heart is deeply connected to her womb, because of her love for the children she bears.
In recent days I have been led into a meditation on The Blessed Mother’s womb, and have personally experienced the peace that comes from being there.
Whatever stage of her maternal care we may be in, I feel we are always connected to her through a spiritual umbilical cord of Marian consecration.
Through this connection, we are being formed into the image of her son.
Not long ago I awoke from sleep with anxiety, and asked for her maternal hand. I was able to fall back asleep and upon waking in the morning I had a great awareness of being in her womb.
As I lay there marveling in this profound sense of safety and comfort, I felt these words spoken into my heart:
“Know that in her, all of your needs are being met.”
In her…
This led me to think about a mother’s womb and how every need of the developing fetus is met, just in being there.
When I think of being in the Blessed Mother’s womb, I think of hearing the lull of her heartbeat, the steady rhythm of her Immaculate Heart.
And the circulation it provides to give us life.
During pregnancy a mother’s circulatory system carries oxygen and nutrients to the placenta. From there it travels through the umbilical cord to the baby.
I believe this is like the Holy Spirit, coming through The Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Heart to us, bringing us life.
So our heart rhythms will be synchronized with hers and her Son’s.
It is believed that a developing fetus absorbs into his/her soul the spiritual atmosphere within the mother.
I believe through Our Lady’s spiritual umbilical cord to us we absorb the joy of The Holy Spirit: praise, love, wonder, virtue
I think of being fed by the praise of her Magnificat, which I believe echoes continually in her heart.
My Soul proclaims the greatness of The Lord, my Spirit rejoices in God my savior
I think of leaping for joy in her womb from this!
During pregnancy, the placenta serves the functions of organs the fetus has not developed yet.
In addition to providing life-giving oxygen and nutrients, it helps remove toxins from the fetus, and help protect him/her from environmental impurities , infection and disease. It also helps him/her to break down and metabolize nutrients.
I see this as being what takes place within us when we are consecrated to Mary. She helps us to purge the toxicity of our souls. While protecting us from further toxicity of the impurity and infectious evil in the world.
As The Holy Spirit comes to us through her spiritual umbilical cord, we receive the gift of understanding, which helps us to assimilate, or break down, the events and mysteries of our life and God’s action within it.
I also think of floating… weightless, in the waters of her womb.
Being held up and supported, learning to surrender.
I believe through her spiritual support of us, our weights and burdens are removed, freeing us. Helping us to surrender ourselves entirely to the will of God.
Like living her Fiat
This water also provides us with warmth and protection from the shock of the outside world.
A mother’s amniotic water contains antibodies which help to build up the immunity of the developing fetus against infection. During gestation, the fetus drinks in these all important waters, to prepare him/her for the outside world.
When I meditate on this, I think of drinking in the water of The Holy Spirit, and receiving the great benefit of :
Protection, support, immunity, freedom in surrender
Through this experience of being in her, we come to know her.
And we develop the loving gaze of awe, wonder and trust.
Her care for us continues through all “stages” of our spiritual life, based on need.
Many times we need to be like a tiny infant, curled up in her lap or on her shoulder.
A mother is deeply connected to her infant, and is very alert to his/her every sound, even while sleeping.
And so it is with our heavenly Mother, who never sleeps, and is always anticipating our every need.
As her children, we must cry out to her in our need.
And trust in her care. She hastens quickly to our need, and feeds us with the nourishment of The Holy Spirit.
And just like in her womb, we receive life giving nourishment which heals and protects us.
If we have trouble digesting what is happening around us, she gives us a gentle pat, helping us to break it down.
I was very blessed about a year ago to have an experience at our Church during Mass, which greatly opened my eyes to the understanding of Our Mother’s care for us.
While kneeling down at our pew, I felt as if I was supposed to look up. When I did, right before me was a young mother of our parish holding her resting infant in her arms.
This beautiful baby was reclined across her mother’s arms in the most comfortable position I had ever seen a baby in before.
Her legs stretched out, feet crossed, and resting her head on her arm.
Not a care or worry in the world.
I could see such a strong sense of trust. She was completely relaxed, because her mother had her.
This is not the baby and mother but very similar position
I felt The Holy Spirit open my eyes to an understanding: this is how to be in the arms of our Mother. In complete trust and at rest.
Some time passed, and once again at Sunday during Holy Communion, I felt I was supposed to look up.
And there in front of me again, was the same mother and child.
The baby had grown and this time was laying in a suspended, swinging position from her mother’s arms, happily kicking her legs.
Again I felt the Holy Spirit speak into my heart: this is how we are to be.
Such trust in the strength of our Mother’s arms around us, that we live in a spirit of joy.
Trust leads to joy.
Some weeks later I again felt led to look up during Holy Communion. There was no way I could have known myself to look up when this same mother and baby passed by, it was an action of The Holy Spirit.
And there was mother and child, who was sitting sitting up this time, very alert. Looking around and taking things in… In wonder
I remember my own children during this stage, being in awe of everything around them.
Studies in child development have shown that infants who are in close contact with the mother for long periods spend more time in a behavioral state called: Quiet Alertness.
“This is the behavioral state in which an infant is most content and best able to interact with his environment. It may be called the optimal state of learning for a baby. Researchers have also reported that carried babies show enhanced visual and auditory alertness.” Dr Sears
And so it is with us as children of The Blessed Mother.
When we are in close contact to her through consecration, The Holy Spirit brings us the spirit of quiet contemplation in her heart.
This helps us to ponder the things of God around us, to live in wonder.
“But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.” Luke 2:19
And The Holy Spirit gives us the eyes to see and the ears to hear for enhanced visual and auditory alertness.
“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.” Proverbs 20:12
When I witnessed again the mother and child during Holy Mass, this time the baby was very mobile. She was being held, but was hanging halfway, ready to jump down and explore.
The toddler stage of development is one of discovery.
I remember my own children in this stage being very tactile, and living in wonder of everything they encountered.
This is our oldest son at his first Easter egg hunt. He was 1 1/2 years old and had little interest in gathering eggs in his basket. He was intrigued with one he had found and the sound of what was inside of it.
As the older kids raced by, grabbing as many eggs as they could, he sat down pondering his treasure. Shaking it, discovering how to break it open.
I feel this is another message for us, of how to be.
In contemplation… pondering the Mystery of God.
With discovery as a theme for toddlers, they spend a great deal of their time exploring their environment. Which can pose challenges, as they are unable to foresee dangers.
Not long ago, while in prayer after Holy Communion, I saw an image in my mind, of baby gates. And child proofing devices for the home.
I understood this to be about the Blessed mother’s care for us.
How she puts up barriers to prevent us from falling..
and secures dangers
to deter us from opening doors to evil
This is also the stage of development in which children learn to walk.
I believe the Blessed Mother plays a very important role in helping us learn to walk, so we can walk with her son as His disciple.
I once had an image in my mind of myself being very little, and I stumbled when attempting to walk. I grabbed onto something next to me, a long piece of cloth material which kept me from falling. It was the mantle of The Blessed Mother.
Not long ago, I felt these words spoken into my heart:
“Walk barefoot with your Mother.”
barefoot
Child development experts and doctors say toddlers learn best how to walk when barefoot.
Most importantly, to help their feet grip the surface they are on.
For tread
But also, it helps to strengthen the muscles, bones and ligaments of the feet and the whole body. Some health practitioners believe that if one bone in the foot is out of place, the whole body is.
How and where we walk are very important in the spiritual life.
I believe to walk with The Blessed Mother is to walk barefoot.
How do we do walk with her?
Ask for hand in guidance
and stay close to her through consecration
She helps us to walk in love, mercy… virtue
Which strengthens our soul and gives us the tread and balance to prevent falling into sin.
The bottom of our feet: the sole, is covered with more nerve endings per square foot than any part of our body.
These nerves sense the characteristics of the walking surface under our feet and send signals to the brain about safety. The brain signals the foot how to move and bend accordingly.
This is like The Holy Spirit coming to us through her Immaculate heart as we walk with her.
The Spirit brings us gifts which heighten our awareness of where we are walking, guiding us to walk in holiness and avoiding evil.
Recently after meditating on this with Our Lord in The Blessed Sacrament, I saw this sign as I was walking out of our church:
I took this as a sign to be aware of where I am walking, and a reminder to take Our Lady’s hand.
Then I took notice of this sign at the top of the outside stairs:
I felt this to be a confirmation in discerning where I tread.
Sometimes as careful as we are when walking, we fall.
But she is always there to help us up and set us right back on our feet.
We are living in a time in which we need a lot of help on our journey. Our Lady’s feet can help to guide us in our stride.
Teaching us to walk in our God-given dominion, crushing evil under our feet.
“The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet.” Romans 16:20
She helps prepare us for the terrain that lies ahead
And how to tread on these surfaces safely
“You can tread upon the asp and the viper, trample the lion and the dragon.” Psalm 91
In their exploratory excitement, toddlers tend to run ahead of their mother’s pace. However, they are careful to keep her in their sight for fear of separation.
I feel this is a lesson for us.
We tend to wander.
The spiritual umbilical cord of Marian consecration keeps her in our sight, and us in hers.
Many times when toddlers wander too far and become frightened, they quickly run back to the lap of their mother.
I wrote in this post: Abandonment https://hisbreathfills.wordpress.com/2020/01/18/abandonment/ about turning from evil quickly (even at risk of losing our shoes) and running to our house: the arms of The Blessed Mother. It was written in a theme of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, whose feast was just last week.
The answer to my question of who am I, has come through being mothered by her. About a year ago I had an experience in which I had just sat down to instruct my children (we homeschool), and was struggling a bit with some common child-rearing challenges.
Suddenly I had an awareness of being on The Blessed Mother’s lap, as an alert infant sitting upright. And The Holy Spirit gave me clear understanding: I need to be mothered, so I can mother. Her mothering of me empowers my motherhood. And brings me to greater understanding of who I am as daughter of The King.
In our day and time we need constant motherly care.
So whether it be a need to curl up in our Mother’s womb or to run while holding her hand, Total consecration to Mary fulfills this.
And frees us to live as children: In awe, wonder and trust.
May you live in the joy that comes from knowing her!
Breath of God 