LIVING OUR SCAPULAR CONSECRATION
LIVING OUR SCAPULAR CONSECRATION"Let the Scapular be for them a sign of Consecration
to the Immaculate Heart of Mary."
--His Holiness, Pope Pius XII
CONSECRATION REQUESTED AT FATIMA
Our Lady gave five basic conditions for world peace at Fatima: Amendment of Life; the daily Rosary; the five First Saturdays; Penance, Sacrifice, and Reparation; and Consecration to Her Immaculate Heart. Personal Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the least understood, but one of the most important elements of the Fatima Message. Our Blessed Mother is asking generous souls, living in the world, to consecrate themselves to her, and by their daily prayer and cheerful acceptance of the duties of their state in life, to make reparation for the sins of Mankind.
CONSECRATION OF THE HUMAN RACE
On December 8, 1942, in answer to Our Lady's request, Pope Pius XII consecrated the world, and Russia in particular, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. By this act, the Holy Father revealed to us the supernatural efficacy of Consecration to Our Lady, and indicated the route to a general renewal of Christian living. In order to bring about the desired effect upon society, this act of consecration must be made by individual souls, and lived in individual lives. It is by applying the principle of Consecration to our everyday living that society can be made pleasing to God and saved from the disaster of total warfare and Communistic materialism and destruction. Thus peace can be restored to the world.
"A new crime is arising in the world, that of being a Christian; and there must arise a new virtue, that of being consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary."
SCAPULAR CONSECRATION
Our individual answer to Mary's request at Fatima is to live fully our Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It was through our enrollment in the Brown Scapular that we were clothed in the "armor" of individual consecration to the Mother of God. Hope for World Peace lies in the purification of individual human souls through fidelity to daily duty. This we can accomplish by living in the spirit of our Scapular Consecration which necessitates avoiding occasions of sin, and making a deliberate and conscious effort to live in dependence upon Mary, to whom we have given our person, rights and goods. In return for our life of Consecration through her Scapular, our Blessed Mother has promised us, not only Peace on Earth, but Eternal Peace.
"WHOEVER DIES CLOTHED IN THIS SCAPULAR SHALL NOT SUFFER ETERNAL FIRE." (Words of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
MEANING OF CONSECRATION
"Consecration to the Mother of God is a total giving of oneself to her for one's entire life and for eternity; and this gift is not a mere formula of words or sentiment, but effective, that is fulfilled by a Christian and Marian life." --HIS HOLINESS, POPE PIUS XII
(The form of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary requested by the Mother of God is the De Montfort consecration --True Devotion to Mary -- according to Sister Lucia of Fatima.)
Upon examining this definition of our Holy Father, we see that our Consecration to Mary must be "total", and it must be "'permanent".
"...a total giving of oneself..."
This total dedication embraces the gift of our intellect, the highest power of our soul, given to us by Almighty God for the purpose of penetrating His Truth. It is the power of our thinking, reasoning, understanding, and judging.
In giving our intellect to Mary, we ask her to use it as her instrument, that we may learn the truth as she wants us to learn it, that we may judge according to her standards, in short, that we may take Mary's point of view in all the circumstances of life. By this dedication of our intellect, we unite with the Blessed Trinity in rendering to Mary profound reverence, in virtue of the dignity of her Divine Maternity, and of her office as Co-Redemptrix of Mankind.
This total dedication embraces the gift of our will, that power of our soul given to us by Almighty God, to act in the light of our Faith and intellect, for the purpose of seeking good. It is the power of our choosing, desiring, loving. Only with God's grace, bestowed on us through Mary, can our wills become strong enough to govern our lower faculties, and docile enough to submit to God's Holy Will, thus ensuring our sanctification.
By this gift of our will, we give to Mary absolute confidence, based upon our deep conviction of Mary's Power and Goodness. We know, with the filial trust of a child, that Mary's maternal heart overflows with compassion for us, her pilgrim children.
Our love for Mary in return, must be true, tender, frank, all embracing; the intimate respectful love of a child for its mother. This gift of our will should reveal itself in our complete surrender of self to Mary, and thereby to God's Holy Will.
"...for one's entire life..."
Our dedication to Mary must be permanent, for our entire life, and for eternity. Our gift of self is not for an hour, a day, nor a year, but forever. To insure this "permanence" we must live our Consecration moment by moment, day by day, until it becomes for us an habitual state of mind, an habitual motive, an immediate end of our life and living.
"...fulfilled by a Christian and Marian life..."
A Christian life must be a holy life. Holiness consists in our perfect submission to the Will of God which we manifest by performing the duties of our state of life with exactness and constancy. We can accomplish this through a life of union with Mary Most Holy in which we strive to perform all our actions in her presence, with her aid, and following her example, thus fulfilling our Consecration by an intense Christian and Marian Life.
EFFECTS OF LIVING OUR SCAPULAR CONSECRATION
Besides glorifying God and His Blessed Mother in an unparalleled manner, we will:
Ensure our own sanctification;
Gain interior happiness and peace;
Grow in courage from the knowledge that we do not fight alone. We have found Jesus through Mary, the source of all courage and hope.
THE SCAPULAR AT FATIMA
Not many people realize that the Scapular is part of the Fatima Message. On October 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin appeared in a vision to Lucia, clothed in the robes of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. She was holding a Brown Scapular in her hand, and had her Infant Son upon her knee.
Lucia, later a Carmelite nun in Portugal, was questioned as to the importance of the Scapular in the Fatima Message, during an interview on August 15, 1950. She replied, "Our Lady wants all to wear the Scapular. The Scapular and the Rosary are inseparable."
ACT OF CONSECRATION
(to be said daily)
O Mary, Immaculate Queen of Carmel, Mother of God, and my Mother, the wearing of thy holy Scapular signifies that I am entirely thine. Assist me this day, and obtain for me the grace to live faithfully my Scapular Consecration, whereby my heart, my mind, my body, my whole being, is thine without reserve, forever. Amen.
PRACTICAL AIDS
For Living Our Scapular Consecration
Renew your Act of Consecration at definite times during the day, especially:
- After the Morning Offering
- In the presence of the Blessed Sacrament
- After receiving Holy Communion
- Before going into the company of others
- In trial and temptation
Increase in love of Mary by meditating on her virtues, as pictured for us in the Magnificat and her Rosary.
Cultivate humility of heart, by recalling often that God's glory, and not your own, is the purpose of your Consecration and aim of life. "Nothing matters, but that we give glory to God."
Grow in the charity of Mary by praying for souls, especially for those present in public places, such as, the street car, bus, shops, or restaurants.
Become mortified in all things. "Like the Saints, give your flesh to God, that He may purify you and fill you with His Spirit."
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