# Something beautiful for God: Consecration to Our Lady of Guadalupe
*2016-12-11*

> On the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and his own birthday, Bill Young reflects on the teachings of Mother Teresa and performs a formal consecration to Jesus Christ through Mary.

## A Day of Celebration

Today is December 12th, the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and it also happens to be my birthday. It is a joyful time; my brother is visiting from Winnipeg, Canada, and my son is spending the weekend with me. As we observe the third Monday of Advent, I am continuing my prayer journey using the book 'Prepare His Way,' which features reflections from Pope Francis, Mother Teresa, and Father Henry Edward Manning.

## Something Beautiful for God

The reflection for today comes from Mother Teresa, titled 'Something Beautiful for God.' She quotes 1 Corinthians 4:7: 'What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?'

Mother Teresa speaks about the importance of serving the poor, noting that before Jesus presented the Beatitudes to the crowds, He had compassion and fed them. She highlights how Mary, after the Annunciation, hurried to serve Elizabeth, becoming the handmaid of the Lord. Mother Teresa challenges us to look at the poverty in Western countries—where the fear of feeding or educating one more child, or caring for an elderly parent, leads to abandonment. She reminds us that we will one day meet the Lord of the Universe and must answer for how we treated His creatures.

## Consecration to Incarnate Wisdom

Having completed the '33 Days to Morning Glory,' I wanted to specifically perform the consecration to Jesus Christ, Incarnate Wisdom, through Mary, using the formula of St. Louis de Montfort. I am doing this today in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Because God exists outside of time, I believe that prayers offered today can reach into the past and the future. Therefore, I am offering this consecration not only for myself but also for my prodigal son, Gregory. My hope is that one day he will say these words for himself, but in the meantime, I pray them on his behalf.

## The Act of Consecration

In this prayer, I adore Jesus, the True God and True Man, who emptied Himself to set us free from the slavery of the evil one. Acknowledging my own failings and the promises of my baptism that I have not always kept, I turn to the intercession of Mary, the living tabernacle of God.

I, William Young, renounce Satan and his empty promises, and I give myself completely to Jesus Christ, Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him for the rest of my life. I surrender and consecrate myself to Mary, body and soul, including all my spiritual and material possessions and the value of all my actions—past, present, and future—for the greater glory of God.

*By consecrating ourselves to Jesus through Mary, we seek to become faithful disciples and slaves of love, imitating the obedience of Christ.*