# Day 4 of 33 Days to Morning Glory: Giving Ourselves to Mary
*2018-04-12*

> Bill Young explains the second emphasis of St. Louis de Montfort’s Marian consecration—offering our whole selves to Mary—as a radical gift that deepens our union with Christ.

## Setting the Stage

Welcome back to Prayer and Lunch. Today is day four of the 33‑day “Morning Glory” Marian consecration series, based on the teachings of St. Louis de Montfort. Although we’re on day four, listeners can start with any of the earlier episodes, and we’ll also preview day five so we can finish the series before the feast of Our Lady of the Assumption on May 13.

## Why Give Ourselves to Mary?

St. Louis highlights two key points in his Marian consecration. Yesterday we covered the renewal of our baptismal vows. Today we turn to the second point: giving ourselves to Mary in imitation of Christ. Jesus gave Himself to Mary at the moment of the Incarnation, and we are called to the same intimate union. Mary is a creature, but a unique one—free from sin and perfectly conformed to God’s will—so offering ourselves to her helps form us into saints and leads us more fully to Christ.

## The Fourfold Gift

The devotion consists of giving Mary:
1. Our bodies, with all senses and members;
2. Our souls, with all powers;
3. Our exterior goods, present and future;
4. Our interior spiritual goods—merits, virtues, and all good works past, present, and future.
St. Louis notes that this fourth point goes beyond what religious vows normally require. While vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience give God the right to dispose of our graces, a Marian consecration entrusts even those merits to Mary.

## Understanding the Radical Nature

Some may wonder how we can give Mary the right to dispose of our graces. If we offer a particular grace to her, we cannot later apply it arbitrarily; it belongs to her will. Likewise, consecrating ourselves to Mary means we die to self‑interest, presenting our merits to God empty‑handed, trusting that Mary will apply them according to divine pleasure. This may sound daunting, but it is ultimately beautiful and wholly worth it.

## The Consecration Formula

In the presence of the heavenly court, the traditional formula expresses this intimate gift:

“I, in the presence of all the heavenly court, on this day, for my Mother and Queen, consecrate to you, my slave, my body and soul, my goods—both interior and exterior—together with the value of all my good actions, past, present, and future. I leave them to you entirely, with the right to dispose of them, for the greater glory of God in time and eternity, according to your good pleasure.”

## Today's Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, living in Mary, help me to give myself entirely to Jesus through Mary.

*Consecrating our whole selves to Mary opens the way to a deeper, more complete union with Christ.*